Monophobia
by DittyWrites
Summary: (Sequel to Atychiphobia) Jon and Edward are continuing to live together in Edwards' apartment and everything seems to be back to normal. But with Edward still coming to terms with his encounter with the Scarecrow and the looming danger of a new threat which seems determined to destroy the Gotham Rogues, is anyone really safe? Reviews are always appreciated and much loved :)
1. Knowledge Is Power

Edward stood beside the motionless man who was stretched out across his couch on his front. His mind was swimming with questions but he asked the one which was most apparent at the forefront of his mind. "Why are you shirtless?" Not that he was complaining but walking into his living room to find Jon completely naked from the waist up was not exactly a regular occurrence. Jon typically didn't like to show off his incredibly lean frame in a non-sexual situation and Edward racked his brain as he attempted to recall the last time Jon had willing walked around topless but he quickly gave up. Regardless, he decided to enjoy the view while it lasted.

"I have an adult photographer coming out to help me complete a portfolio." Jon replied instantly without missing a beat. "I'm thinking of branching out and creating a villain-themed calendar for the masses. Something truly frightening." He sighed deeply. "Why do you think I am shirtless Edward? It's far too warm in this apartment and you've rigged the thermostat to only respond to your genetic code." He frowned as he held his head up so he could give Edward full eye contact.

"I'll go turn it down in a minute." Edward sighed. "Maybe I should do something about adding your DNA to the thermostat. After all, you technically have been living here for four months now."

From his standing position, Edward could see the many scars which littered across Jons' back and shoulders. Some were very faint and small and Edward knew that these were the lingering marks caused by Jons' sadistic great granny and her affinity for using crows to torture her young great grandson. Human cruelty was something Edward understood very well and he had similar scars of his own to demonstrate how great that understanding was. But Jon had many other scars and his eyes were drawn to a particularly large and more recent-looking one on his left shoulder blade. He knew that this one was the work of Killer Croc on that night he attacked Jonathan in the sewers of Arkham Asylum. It had cost Edward a hefty sum of money to fix up the damage which Waylon had done to Jonathan after the latter had washed up on the shores of Gotham Bay, completely exhausted and barely alive. He wasn't actually entirely sure how Jon and Waylon had resolved that particular issue and he was mulling it over when Jonathan spoke.

"Stop staring at me Edward. I can feel your eyes on the back of my head." Jonathan kept his own eyes shut as he called Edward out, sensing that the other man was deep in thought as he examined his own impressive collection of scarred flesh. He inhaled suddenly as he felt Edwards soft hand slowly tracing along the scar that Croc had given him years previously. "Go do something useful like make dinner or build a new way for me to administer toxin into my patients without compromising the purity of the mixture."

"Don't be insecure Jon." Edward chided as he continued to stroke the raised flesh. "True, I am mentally and physically your superior, but that should not mean that you should feel shy. Are you looking for some reassurance dear?" Jonathan lifted his hand and flipped Edward the bird, causing him to chuckle softly.

Edward would be the first to admit that neither himself nor Jon were exactly the pinnacle of human fitness and beauty but Edward had always found the other man quite attractive. Jon liked to pretend that he was a heartless and emotionless husk of a man but his one downfall were his eyes which Edward found to be intensely expressive and almost constantly shone with his impressive intelligence. Being stuck under Jons' gaze for too long always made Edward shiver and he loved it, but he mostly blamed his own masochistic tendencies for that particular enjoyment. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued to speak. "Did Waylon ever apologise for attempting to turn you into his newest chew-toy down in the Asylum sewers?"

"Random question, but yes. We came to an arrangement after I had healed fully from the surgeries you so generously arranged for me. In exchange for my deceasing any attempt at revenge, Waylon offered to help me out and act as my 'muscle' for one or two small projects and I accepted his offer." Jonathan turned his head to the side so that Edward could hear him more clearly. "But since then we have barely had any interactions outside of those times where we are both incarcerated at the Asylum. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I was just curious." Edward shrugged. "Knowledge is power and I like to know things."

"Really? Why have I never noticed that particular facet of your personality before? Someone should alert the presses!"

"Don't try to be funny Jon. It's not your style."

Jonathan jumped off the couch suddenly and Edward flinched involuntarily. While the pair were back to relative normality, Edward still displayed the occasional sign of nervousness around Jon. Pretending not to have noticed the flinch, Jon felt his stomach tighten slightly as he pulled his shirt back on and sat on the couch in a normal fashion. "How's the abdomen?" He kept his voice as even as possible as he finished buttoning the shirt up. They didn't talk about the incident in the basement very often but Jon liked to keep tabs on how Edwards' recovery was coming along. At this point the only lasting issue seemed to be the scalpel damage done to Edwards' stomach and that was mostly because he had accidentally torn his stitches out more than once even after being told to keep his physical activity to a minimum.

"Much better actually. I don't really see myself doing any serious yoga in the near future but I imagine it will be fully healed within the week if I can prevent myself from disturbing the stitches again." Moving forward, he lay on the couch next to Jon and placed his feet on the older mans' lap. "So I will continue to use it as an excuse to not do any serious housework. I am enjoying my small break from criminality and it's given me time to get some serious planning done for future projects."

Sensing an opportunity, Jonathan spoke quickly. "Speaking of which, I had a breakthrough in my research last night so I doubt I will be able to accompany you out at any point in the next few days." Jonathan pushed Edwards' feet off his lap and began to inspect his nails as he mentally prepared for the tantrum which he knew was about to be thrown his way. "Can we reschedule for next week? Or the week after that?"

Jumping off the couch in outrage, Edward was not a happy man. "Jonathan Crane! You promised me that we could do something together this week since I have successfully prevented my stitches from tearing open for over ten days. I have been trapped in this damn apartment for over a week and no amount of nice stolen artwork is going to make me forget that you promised me a decent night out Jon!" He pouted childishly.

"I'm sorry Edward but my work is important and the longer I delay further testing the more chance I have of this batch becoming a write-off. I simply cannot risk it." Jonathan explained patiently.

"Jon, your work can wait one night. It was you overworking on that bastard toxin that led to me being unable to leave the apartment in the first place." Deciding to attempt to guilt Jonathan into agreeing, Edward walked forward a little, as if to move closer to Jon, before stopping and clutched a hand to his stitches as if they were bothering him and taking a sharp inhale of breath. "Do you know what? It doesn't even matter." He said quietly and spun on his heel to face the opposite wall away from Jonathan.

"If it will stop you throwing this absurd tantrum then I will put off my work for ONE night. But that's it Ed, one night." Jonathan sighed, annoyed that Edward had brought up the basement incident to cheat his way into winning this argument. He knew that Edward was trying to make him feel guilty but he was willing to let it slide this once, since it was over something so droll. "So you'd better appreciate it." Edward gave a victorious smile. "But we need to make sure tha-"

They both jumped as the front door of the apartment was thrown open and a dark figure launched itself into the room while another stood in the doorway. Springing into action, Jon rolled off the couch and grabbed a vial of toxin from underneath the small table in the center of the room while Edward flew into the kitchen to grab his cane. As he sprinted back out into the living room, he was knocked to the floor. He gasped as he connected with the hard wooden floorboards and raised his hand to strike the intruder before he was assaulted by the smell of vanilla and patchouli. A smell which he instantly associated with only one person. "Harley?" He dropped his hand as her took in the visibly upset blonde who was currently straddling him.

"OH MISTAH E!" Harley sobbed. "W-we need ya help! She's gone! She's gone and I need ya to find her!" Her voice broke on the final word and she buried her head into Edwards' chest. Still stunned, he glanced at Jonathan and then at the darkened doorway as he tried to work out who the other intruder was.

"Who is gone Miss Quinzel?" Jonathan asked quietly as he stood up slowly. He also kept an eye on the mysterious figure as he moved in Edward and Harleys' direction.

Walking through the doorway, the dark figure revealed itself to be Selina and she answered for Harley. "She means Ivy. Someone has kidnapped Pam and we need Edwards' help to find her." Edward and Jonathan exchanged a quick look before Edward brought up a hand to awkwardly pat Harley on the back as she continued to cry.

"Well, there goes my night off." Edward grumbled quietly.


	2. Feeling Very Fragile

It took Edward over ten minutes to get Harley to calm down enough to get a cohesive answer out of her concerning Ivys' disappearance but every time he felt like he was getting somewhere she would begin to cry and they were forced to start over again. "Selina. Can you tell me what happened?" Edward asked exasperatedly as he struggled to deal with how emotional Harley was being.

Selina shrugged her slender shoulders. "Sorry Ed but you know about as much as I do. I only stopped by to grab a few of my things from Harley but when I walked in I found her like this." She gestured towards the blonde. "All she told me was that Pam had been kidnapped. That was three day ago and after we failed to locate her I eventually convinced Harley to come and ask you both for help."

"Thanks a lot Selina." Edward rolled his eyes. "Saving Pamela is exactly how I wanted to spend my time. In case you've forgotten we don't actually see eye-to-eye on a lot of subjects so tell me again why I should care if Pams' in serious danger?" He regretted his choice of words instantly as Harley let out a wail.

"Why'd ya say stuff like that Mistah E?" Harley turned her sad eyes on Edwards' face. "Poor Pammy is out there all alone and you're making out she's in real da-danger!" She sobbed the last part and hid her head in her hands.

"Way to go Ed!" Selina hissed and she sent him an unmistakable look which promised trouble if he didn't watch his tone. "Harley and I have spent the last three days looking for Pam and gotten absolutely nowhere so the least you can do is offer a hand. And let's not forget that you owe Ivy one for saving your life after you two had your little 'domestic'."

Jonathan growled at the accusation and Selina turned her defiant glare on him. Holding her gaze for a moment he made the decision to stop delaying the inevitable and moved to stand in front of Harley. Edward followed his movements. "Jon what are yo-" But he was cut off by Jon holding up a hand to silence him.

"Dr Quinzel." Jonathan began in his most authoritative voice and Edward was suddenly convinced that this was the voice Jon used in the far past while he was still a psychology lecturer. "Dr Quinzel!" He repeated a bit louder and Harley looked up at him. "I was your supervisor once and you will do as I say and stop this foolish crying right now. It is not helping anyone and the longer you take to tell us what happened, the longer Pamela will be missing. So tell me child, what happened?"

Harley sniffed before clearing her throat and straightening her spine. "Pammy and I were messin' about in the kitchen when suddenly everything went dark and I started ta choke on some kinda gas. I fell on the ground and I could see someone knock Pammy on the head a-and-" She broke off again as her eyes welled up with tears.

"Harleen Quinzel." Jonathan warned. "If you want us to find Pamela then you will finish your story."

Nodding she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and continued. "Someone knocked Pammy on the head and I saw two of 'em dragging her off just before the gas put me ta sleep. By the time I woke up again she was missing and I got really upset and then Selina appeared and then I told her what happened and we searched and searched and then she said that you could help me and we came here and-"

Jonathan cut off her rambling. "Shh, that's enough child. Can you remember anything about the people who took Ivy? Gender? Age? Markings?" He waited for her to respond but sighed as she shook her head.

"It was too dark and smoky for me to see anything. They didn't speak or do anything apart from hurt me and Pam. Can you help me find her Doctah Crane?" She pouted and glanced up at Jonathan hopefully and he sighed as he took in her earnest appearance.

Harley was one of the only costumed villains whom Jon had any kind of history with before he fully took on the guise of the Scarecrow. He had taught her psychology for two semesters at Gotham University and it was actually the year after she graduated that Jon himself was fired. He was well-aware that Harley had seduced several of the other professors to achieve the high grade she ended up with but Jonathan had read her dissertation himself and found it surprisingly insightful and he theorised that she was probably just 'sealing the deal' by seducing his colleagues. He was thankful, with the power of hindsight, that he hadn't selected her for one of his...early experiments. He didn't care much for humanity as a whole but he did hold a mild soft-spot for Harley.

"Okay Harley. Edward and I agree to help you." Edward groaned while Harley squealed and threw herself at Jon, latching her arms around his neck and hugging him as tightly as she could.

"Thanks Doctah Crane! I knew I could count on ya!" She let go and sat back down on the couch. "So what's the plan ta get Red back?"

"Yeah Jonathan!" Edward answered sarcastically. "What's the plan since you seem to have signed us both up for this pointless excursion?"

Jonathan smiled and slid over to where Edward was standing while Selina hurried over to Harley to start discussing potential plans. Jon titled his head so he could whisper in Edwards ear, "You were the one who said that you were bored. Plus it might make Pamela a little less inclined to kill us in the future and having Poison Ivy as a friend is always good for my chemical supplies." He looked over to Selina and Harley to make sure that they were otherwise occupied and seeing that they were, he leaned in and placed a quick yet gentle kiss on Edwards' cheek. "Let some fun into your life dear."

Edward was momentarily stunned by the unexpected show of affection but his shock soon gave way to a sly grin as he moved closer to Jonathan and placed a hand around his torso. "Ladies!" He cooed. "It seems we have a plant-lady to save and a limited amount of time to do so. Harley, can you take us over to your apartment and we'll see if the kidnappers have left any clues that you two might have missed?"

"Sure Mistah E! Just let me go get the car." Harley replied looking the happiest she had since entering the apartment.

x-x-x-x-x

"HOW MUCH MEAT CAN ONE WOMAN EAT?" Edward cried as he took a sneaky look in Harley and Ivys' fridge. The fridge itself was filled with a few basics, milk, eggs etc but there was also over fifty pounds of raw meat being kept inside. "Harley, that's not right."

Selina snorted while Jon blatantly ignored Edwards' exclamation and continued to investigate the tear gas grenade which had been used to disorientate and knock out Harley. The grenade was looking to be a dead end though as it was a typical make and model which any person with internet access and the desire to buy one could easily do so. "Don't be silly Eddie!" Harley tittered as she made cups of coffee for the others. "Some of that meat is also for Bud and Lou cause my babies will only eat raw meat."

Edward scowled as he was reminded of the hyenas which had destroyed his good suit. "Flea-ridden nuisances." He muttered under his breath before calling out to Jon and Selina. "Any luck?"

"Nope." Selina responded. "Harley and I have already looked at the evidence here and it's getting us nowhere! Do we have any other ideas?" She stopped suddenly and her eyes light up with a sudden realisation. "Is there any way we can track Pam herself instead of tracking her kidnappers?" The other three looked thoughtful for a few seconds before Harley broke the silence.

"Yay Lina! I totally forgot! We could ask the plants!" She announced cheerily.

Edward stared at her for a beat. "Do we have any other ideas from someone who hasn't appeared to have had a complete mental breakdown?"

"I'm not crazy!" Harley argued hotly. "The plants can feel Ivy and they know where she's been! They talk to each other."

"Okay Harley. And how exactly are we going to speak to the plants when the only human/plant hybrid we know who can communicate with them, is missing?"

"Pam taught me a neato trick! Watch!" Harley bounced over to one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a large map of Gotham which she placed on the large table. Unwinding one of the vines which had wrapped itself around the table leg she placed it on the edge of the map and started to stroke it gently. "Okay vine, Pammy has been kidnapped and I need you to talk to your plant friends and then point out on this map where she is. Can you do that viney?" She whispered quietly.

"This is a complete waste of time." Edward scoffed. "Jon? Selina? SHE'S ACTUALLY CONVERSING WITH THE PLANT! I have seen a lot in my years in Gotham, crocodile hybrids, human bat monsters, a man who can turn to clay at a moments notice, but this is utter nonsense and it's getting us nowhere!" He finished his rant and stared at Jon and Selina, waiting for them to provide backup. Jon held his gaze for a second before raising one finger and pointing directly behind Edward.

Edward turned to see what was Jon was indicating at. "You have got to be kidding me!" He groaned as his attitude deflated. There, on the table, the vine was moving. It was sliding across the map in a smooth motion and it eventually settled with its very tip sitting directly on top on one of the most western warehouses on the Gotham river. "I am literally speechless." Edward said quietly, his eyes wide.

"Well done vine!" Selina called out cheekily. "You've succeeded where pretty much everything else in life has failed! Shutting up Edward Nygma."

"Don't try me Selina. I'm feeling very fragile at the moment." Edward sighed. "Okay then, I suppose we have a lead. Lets go investigate the area where the psychic vine is telling us to go."


	3. This Isn't The First Time

For a car journey that had only started fifteen minutes ago, Jonathan was convinced that time itself has slowed down. Between Harleys' excited whoops of joy and Edward having a small conversation with himself over how exactly Harley was able to have a conversation with Ivys' plants, Jon was ready for just opening the car door and taking his chances with the asphalt. Thankfully, he could see the warehouse approaching slowly in the distance and he felt relief well up inside of him as the car stopped outside.

"Ready ladies and Jon?" Edward asked as he held the door open for Selina and Jon to get out. After receiving three nods in response he led the charge towards the warehouse. Entering through an old broken window, the foursome found themselves standing in a completely abandoned building which looked like it had been undisturbed for years. "Uhh, did the plant give any instructions on what we should do when we arrive?"

"Have faith Ed." Selina said firmly as she grabbed Harleys' arm and moved towards the other side of the warehouse. "We'll go search the north and western side of the warehouse. You and Jonathan can search the south and east. And no funny business, remember we're here for Pam."

"How could we forget?" Jon replied sarcastically. "Shall we?" He placed a hand on Edwards' shoulder and pointed him towards their instructed location and began the search, keeping an eye out for any suspicious materials or clues which could indicated Ivys' location. "This is fun." Jon continued. "It's like a game but at the end we win an odd human-hybrid instead of a normal prize." Edward snorted before his attention was caught by an out-of-place looking door which was fastened directly into the floor beside a set of crates.

"There's no dust on or anywhere near that door." Edward pointed out. "Harley! Selina!" He called out loudly. He waited patiently until he could sense their presence and pointed to the door on the floor. "It's the only part of this warehouse that looks new. Or in other terms, I think we have a winner."

The four stood crowded around the door on the floor which looked to be securely padlocked. "Any ideas on how we're going to get through that?" Selina examined the padlock. "I could try to pick it if someone grabs my lockpick kit from the car." She nodded to Edward and he made an exaggerated sighing motion before walking back outside to the car to retrieve the kit. It took a few minutes to locate it since Selina had hidden it in a secret compartment beside the dashboard but he was soon back beside the trio. "Thanks Ed." She bent down in front of the padlock and it only took a few seconds for a small click to sound through the silent warehouse. "Aaand done!" She announced.

Jon moved beside her and the two of them worked together to pull the heavy steel door open so that Harley and Edward could see what was underneath. The door was only open a few feet when they heard Edward gasp. "Aww Red." Harley whispered quietly and the quaver in her voice was obvious.

Dropping the heavy door to the side, Jon and Selina also had a peek at what the door had revealed. Instead of stairs or a hidden room it revealed a small space in the ground which was lined with several layers of concrete. The space looked incredibly like a relatively-large coffin in both shape and depth. The only item within it was the thin and almost-skeletal frame which was curled up in the centre of it and even though the face was hidden, the red hair and green tinge to the skin made its identity undeniable.

"Is she...dead?" Edward asked quietly. He felt an odd twist in his stomach as he stared at the figure and he was unsure exactly why. True, he had never exactly been a good friend of Ivys' but he had always quite enjoyed their vicious back-and-forth throughout the years, although that was probably because he had a tendency to win when it came to word play. He glanced at Jonathan and wasn't surprised to see him with a completely blank face as they examined the husk in front of them, but as Jon turned to face him Edward could see the smallest spark of concern in his brown eyes. _That's not good. Then again he's probably just worried that he's going to have to find a new source to steal supplies from._

Selina and Harley shared a loaded glance before disappearing back out the door where they had entered from. "What's gotten into them?" Edward asked Jonathan and he could hear an odd weight in his own voice. Jonathan shrugged and moved forward towards the small casket before leaning down and gently lifting up Ivys' wrist to take a pulse.

"She's alive Edward. The pulse is incredibly weak but there is a definite movement of blood, or in this case chlorophyll, so she's not dead but she's close." He jumped slightly as the door slammed open again as Harley and Selina returned and he raised an eyebrow at the sight. Between the two of them they were carrying several galleons of water which has apparently been kept in the boot of the car. "What are you two-"

"We know what we're doing Jonathan. This isn't the first time this has happened." Selina cut him off quickly as she opened the first container of water. Moving beside Ivy, she poured the entire thing into the concrete coffin which was being used at Ivys' makeshift prison while Harley did the same. Holding up a hand to stop Edward from speaking, the pair continued to fill the coffin with water until Ivy was almost fully submerged before Harley delicately shut the lid again. "And now we wait." Selina continued.

"Wait for what?" Edward enquired.

"This has happened before. If she's deprived of sunlight and hydration for too long then it has a really nasty affect on her due to her plant DNA. The last time this happened, we found her in a much worse state than she's currently in and she was only saved by being dropped into a fountain." Edward kept his face straight as he filed away that information for future use. Not that he was planning to kill Ivy but it was always good to know of any of her weaknesses. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking noise from inside the container and he flinched away from it.

"RED!" Harley squealed and she used her enhanced strength to lift the door open herself as she raced to save her buried lover.

From inside the hole, a small green hand emerged followed slowly by the rest of Ivy as she pulled herself free from her prison. Her eyes scanned the room quickly as she assessed the area for danger but her expression softened as she took in Harley standing beside her. "Hey Harls. What the hell is goi-" She had barely enough time to brace herself before Harley launched herself at her back and pulled her in for an incredibly strong but delicate hug. She smiled at the enthusiastic blonde. "Did someone miss me?"

"Oh Red! I missed ya too much! You're not allowed to do that to me again ya hear?" Harley spoke quickly as she attached herself to her partner.

"I hate to be the one to break up this little lovefest." Jonathan drawled out from his position behind the pair. "But now would be a good time to get some answers since Pamela seems to be fine." He looked directly at Pamela and nodded slightly. "What do you remember? Harley told us everything up to the pair of you being attacked in the kitchen. What happened after?"

Ivy continued to stretch her body out, carefully avoiding Harley, and her brow furrowed as she struggled to recall the series of events. "I was attacked in the kitchen and by the time I woke up I was tied up and blindfolded in the back of a small van. I tried to call out to my babies but I couldn't sense anything nearby. I was only there for another few minutes before the back of the van opened and I was thrown into this hole." She paused slightly. "I overheard one of them speaking but I was too disorientated to make out what was being said. The language definitely wasn't English though so I doubt that I would have been able to pick it up anyway."

"What's wrong Pam? Did you never develop the ability or desire to learn a new language? Or do you just lack the capacity? How droll." Edward spoke languidly, smirking as he saw the fire come back into Pams' gaze which was now being directed his way.

"Edward." Ivy hissed. "Is there any reason in particular that you're here? Aside from wasting some of my precious oxygen. Hello Selina." She nodded at Selina before looking back to Harley. "Why are the leprechaun and the rake here? Surely the situation wasn't that desperate. How long was I down there for?"

"Three days Pammy." Harley pouted as she tightened her grip around Ivys' waist. "You were gone for three days and I was alone and sad an-"

"Shhh baby." Ivy cooed softly as she leaned backwards into Harleys' cuddle. "Were you concerned for me? You know i'm always fine, I won't leave you Harls." She swung around and brought her hand up to cup the side of Harleys' face. Edward, Jon and Selina took the hint and directed their gaze away from the reunited couple to give them a small moment of privacy.

"As much as this reunion is truly touching," Jonathan spoke up suddenly after a minute, "I actually have other places I could be, and since Pamela is healthy and unable to help us work out who attacked her, I would much rather be in those places."

"The rake is right." Ivy agreed. "Plus I have a loving partner who I think I need to...comfort."

"Keep the flirting down to a minimum please Pam." Selina purred. "I think Edwards' gone faint from a sudden loss of blood in his upper body."

"Don't be dirty Selina. Jon and I are more than happy with our sex life." Edward winked at her while Jon frowned at the topic of discussion. "But yes, we should leave before something else happens."

x-x-x-x-x

Waving politely at Harley as she disappeared into Ivys' lair, Jon started up the car to take him and Edward back to their own apartment. "Do you think the people who tried to kill Ivy will make another attempt? At this point they have technically gotten away with it since we have absolutely no leads to go on other than the fact that they speak a language other than English." Edward asked as he gazed out at the Gotham streets.

"Perhaps. But knowing Ivy and Harley, they will improve their defences around Ivys' home to prevent any further intrusions. But I am curious as to why someone would try to eliminate Ivy and yet leave Harley. It's odd."

"And not our concern at the moment." Edward countered before brightening considerably. "Anyway, if memory serves, we were discussing a possible night out for the two of us before Harley and Selina burst through our door..." He trailed off as he looked at Jon expectantly.

"Yes. I suppose we were."


	4. How Do I Keep Forgetting That?

"All things considered, i'm actually quite pleased with your choice of location Jon." Edward adjusted his black waistcoat as they entered the doors of the museum. "I was hoping for something a little more _romantic_ but this seems disturbingly fated to be."

Jonathan shifted in his own outfit since Edward had spent the entire day persuading him to dress appropriately. The starched white shirt he had been forced into wasn't as comfortable as he would have liked but he was trying to cater to Edwards' wishes, for tonight at least. "How did I let you talk me into this?" He countered.

"Because you held me captive and almost murdered me in our shared basement?" Edwards' voice was very nonchalant as he smiled at another passing couple. Jon was not going to ruin this night. Edward could count the amount of 'dates' which himself and Jon had been on since their relationship started on one hand and he was determined for this night to be a success. Museum and then dinner. Nice and simple.

"Oh yeah how do I keep forgetting that." Jon eyed up the large sign which was hanging over the main entranceway which read 'NEW EXHIBIT: TORTURE THROUGHOUT THE AGES'. "But I agree, this could be fun. And lets face it Edward, we are hardly a conventional couple so this does seem," he paused, "appropriate."

Edward laughed heartily. "That we are not Jon. That we are not. So how did you settle on this exhibit then? Are you here for fun and to have some inner reflection on how the cruelties of humanity have grown throughout the eras or is this a working trip so you can gather some new ideas for you to use to scare your poor various patients?"

"Why not both? The history of torture shows up humanity for what it is; messy yet incredibly creative." He stopped to closely examine an iron maiden which had been discovered recently in an old Italian church. "Like this. Perfectly designed to inflict as much pain across the largest surface area while still keeping the subject alive. For a while at least." Jon smirked and moved on to the next area while Edward continued to examine the maiden.

The next hour passed without a hitch as they continued to explore the various displays which the museum had collected over the years. As they passed each collection, Jonathan would make a sarcastic comment about the various techniques and items on display which usually resulted in a smirk from Edward. Eventually they reached a cabinet which contained a Spanish boot and Jonathan turned to give Edward an interesting story about a certain woman from Naples who was strangled to death in prison while wearing the Spanish boot as an act of revenge by the prison guards. He opened his mouth to explain the tale but he hesitated when he took in Edwards' appearance.

The confident smile which Edward liked to wear in public was missing from his face and it had been replaced with a blank look which was quite unsettling on his usually expressive features. He followed Edwards' gaze to see what the issue was and he swore quietly as he took in the sight of the century old torture chair, complete with restraints, which had been set up in one of the side-displays. He didn't need to use his considerable intelligence and knowledge of psychology to work out was the problem was. Jon was well aware that Edward had not been back down inside the basement since the incident and it was an topic which both men weren't willing to discuss, even though every inch of Jons' training told him that it was something which Edward should probably be speaking to a professional about.

It wasn't just the lack of expression that worried Jonathan, he could clearly see the slight dilation of Edwards' pupils and his breathing was considerably shallower than it has been five minutes previously. His left arm was folded across his chest and he was subconsciously stroking his scarred forearm through his shirt with his right hand. Jonathan had lived with Edward long enough to know the warning signs for one of the younger mans panic attacks. Edward had suffered from panic attacks since childhood, a lasting side-effect of the lessons his father bestowed on him on a regular basis, and even though Edward had gotten his long awaited revenge on his father he still had the occasional attack if he was particularly stressed. And Jon has noticed a slight increase since Edwards' unfortunate encounter with the Scarecrow.

"Edward." He said quietly as he placed one hand gently on the small of Edwards' back and used the other to trace comforting shapes on the back of Edwards' shaking hand. "Edward. Do you want to leave?" Edward avoided eye contact as he shook his head. A small part of Jonathan briefly considered exploiting this weakness, knowing full well that a few small gestures and a phrase or two could have Edward develop fully into a quivering mess. But the brief thought left him feeling hollow and slightly guilty at the thoughts his own psyche was throwing at him. He sighed. "If we leave now we can get our dinner slightly earlier than planned. I'm quite famished actually. Come on Edward?" He felt some of the tension leave Edwards' body and he used the lapse in stiffness to steer the younger man towards the exit.

By the time they had reached the front steps on the outside of the museum Edward had calmed down considerably. "We did not need to leave Jon." Edward protested. "I just had a momentary lapse in judgement." He added softly as he continued to avoid Jons' gaze. He was embarrassed and angry with the situation and he did not like feeling like a child who needed coddled. Jon was usually good at accommodating his occasional panic attack but Edward suspected that this was the first time Jon was indirectly responsible and knew it. He was a little curious as to how that made the other man feel.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?" Jons' voice broke into his thoughts.

"Footprints. That one was easy." Edward chided but he finally looked at Jon as he realised that the riddle was his attempt at trying to comfort him in the best way he knew how. Smiling in appreciation, he linked his arm in Jons' and started to walk towards their car.

"My mistake. I should have known it would be too easy." Jon said sweetly. "It's a nice night Edward. Why don't we make a belated attempt to save the environment and walk to the restaurant instead of driving? It's only a few blocks away and the night air will be good for us." The sun was setting over the horizon and the air had a pleasant chill to it.

"Sounds good to me." Edward pulled away from Jonathan for a moment so he could fix his jacket. "Let's get going." He was still angry with how he had reacted inside the museum and the perceived weakness he had shown. The duo turned down a side-street to take a quick shortcut which would allow them to avoid walking by the Gotham City Police Department building since there would be less risk of them being spotted. As they travelled down the dark, filthy alleyway they found their path suddenly blocked by a bloated thug with bloodshot eyes.

"Lost guys? Just hand over your wallets and no one needs to get hurt." He shifted slightly and the duo could see the glint of a metal baseball bat in his hand.

"God bless Gotham City." Edward rolled his eyes dramatically. Travelling around Gotham in regular civilian clothing did have its downsides. "Go away moron. Neither myself nor my partner has time for a Neanderthal like you tonight. We have places to be, places which are much nicer than anywhere you could ever hope to get into."

"Partner?" The mans face lit up with disgust. "If you give me your wallet then maybe i'll only beat one of you freaks to death."

"Jon," Edward began lazily. He was still annoyed about the incident in the museum and he suspected that he had just found an outlet for his anger. "Do you have any of your magical formula on you at the moment? I think our friend here could do with a small lesson in manners ans why it's usually a good idea to be polite to strangers."

"No Edward. Someone," he pointed an accusatory finger, "forced me to completely change outfits and I did not have time to properly arm myself."

"How disappointing. Then again, there is nothing wrong with doing things the good old fashioned way." He smirked at Jon before spinning on his heel and sweeping the leg out from under the would-be assailant. The man gasped as he fell harshly to the floor, dropping the bat in surprise. Tutting in disapproval, Edward picked up the bat in a gloved hand and tested its weight. "Nice." He twirled in around. "Very nice." Using a casual motion, he brought the bat down across the face of the random thug and smiled in satisfaction at the solid noise it produced while the fallen man squealed. Spurned on by his earlier frustrations, Edward continued to beat the man senseless with the bat only pausing to readjust his jacket to prevent the blood spatter from reaching his clothing. Jonathan watched Edwards' actions with rapt fascination, it wasn't often that he let himself become so unrestrained and it was always a pleasure to watch.

Growing quickly bored with the turn of events, Edward used his considerable strength to bring the metal bat down one final time on the moaning mans' head. The sound of the bat connecting with the mans' cranium echoed in the silent alleyway and Edward sighed as he dropped the weapon next to the warm body. Standing slowly, Edward pulled his dark gloves off gently and folded them in his pockets before taking his jacket off and tucking it under his arm to hide the small blood stains he had been unable to avoid.

"So did you kill him because he was trying to rob us or because you had a few...issues...to work out?" Jonathan asked curiously as he stepped away from the pool of blood which was slowly spreading towards his shoes.

"Why not both?" Edward echoed Jons' earlier statement. "Although I do feel considerably better now so I suppose that was almost cathartic."

Pondering Edwards answer, Jon came to a decision. "Edward." Jonathan called his name delicately and Edward looked questioningly at him. "After what happened back at the museum and the display you just put on, I think we need to have a talk."

"About what Jon? I'm perfectly fine." Edward argued.

"Did you forget that i am still a trained psychologist? I worked very hard to earn that degree and I can actually help you." Jonathan said firmly. "If you want me to that is. You still haven't been down to the basement since that night." He added.

"I have not had a reason to visit the basement since that night."

"You and I both know that's a lie Edward. I'm not going to force you to speak to me but I would like to let you know that the option is open to you. You still flinch sometimes when I reach for you and I realise that I was responsible for the trauma you underwent and that it may be difficult to overcome. However I still believe you would benefit from some real therapy from someone who knows you." Jon placed a hand on Edwards' shoulder to emphasise how serious his offer was.

"I will...consider it." Edward replied after a moment. "But do not get your hopes up."

"I wouldn't dream of it Edward. But we've been side-tracked and I believe we still have a dinner reservation to attend."

"That is true. Lets get going before someone catches us here and i'm forced to make this a double homicide."


	5. Don't Test Me Child

Jonathan Crane did not get unwell. It just did not happen. Contrary to what his physical appearance might suggest, he was actually quite a healthy man. He regularly exercised to keep his fitness levels at an acceptable level, nothing too extreme though and it was mostly stretching exercises. By chance, he had discovered that he had quite the flexible body and he realised that it would be better in the long run if he used this benefit to his advantage. Particularly since he spent a good portion of his time attempting to evade the Batman.

Edward was not a flexible man and it was one of the few things which Jon enjoyed holding over him. No matter how hard he tried or how many classes he took, Edward was never able to reach the same level of physical flexibility which came to Jon naturally. He was also very particular about his food intake and staunchly refused to eat anything too unhealthy, much preferring to either cook for himself or eat in high-class restaurants. Jonathan had to admit that since he and Edward had started their relationship that the quality of his meals had increased dramatically and he would find it difficult to go back to his pre-Edward style of eating, which mainly involved not eating for days and then cooking the most basic meals imaginable that would be able to sustain him.

Neither man had ever had any real issues with their body image. Edward was a true narcissist and their shared bathroom was filled with various lotions, moisturisers, scrubs and other things Jonathan had absolutely no interest in. Due to his peacock-like tendencies, Edward became incredibly offended when someone made a negative comment about his appearance and he often reacted poorly. His body confidence displayed itself it other ways such as his willingness to walk around the apartment half or even fully naked. Maybe it was Jons' religious upbringing but even after all this time he was still always surprised to find Edward occasionally standing naked in the kitchen making breakfast. Not that he ever complained but still.

Years of physical and verbal abuse had left Jonathan considerably less confident in his physical appearance. He did not think he was particularly unattractive as he recognised that some of his attributes were very acceptable, he just didn't care that much about his appearance. As a scientist he recognised the importance of hygiene and keeping himself clean at all times so that wasn't an issue. He knew that his extremely thin-frame and penchant for inspiring terror in others were probably not the most attractive of features but Edward and the very few other people he had slept with in his life had never seemed to have any complaints. But still, the echoes of childhood cruelty and taunting still caused him the occasional crisis which was usually fixed either by Edward, whose ability to sense when Jon was feeling uncomfortable was uncanny and he was always more than happy to spend a few hours showing Jon just how attractive he found him, or by acquiring a new testing 'subject' if Edward was unavailable.

As a result of these precautions, both Jonathan and Edward were generally a relatively healthy couple both physically and mentally, although the latter was a subject of hot debate. So the fact that Jonathan had been confined to his bed for the last two days after being struck down by a harsh strain of the flu was very offensive to him. It was common knowledge that Jon was like wounded animal when he was unwell, quick to temper and had a tendency to lash out so Edward knew he had to be careful if he wanted to avoid being threatened or gassed.

"I have no idea where you found that nurses hat Edward but if it's not off your head in the next minute then I will take it off personally with my scythe." He glanced at the figure who was lounging in the doorway to their bedroom. "I mean it."

"Come on Jonathan. I put this especially for you! I did have a full nurses outfit planned out but I think I will save that for a more special night." He winked at the sick man. "But I need to take your temperature so don't stab me with a needle if I come near you."

"Do not touch me Edward. I swear you will regret it." Jon groaned. His body ached all over and his head was pounding even after all the medication Edward had given him. The very real possibility of being trapped in the apartment with Edward being his usual cocky and loud self filled him with utter dread. Edward chuckled at the threat before approaching the bed. Shifting out of his jacket and shoes he lay down on the bed next to Jonathan. Unbuttoning his shirt as the wrist, he rolled his sleeves up past his elbows so he could move around more easily. Shuffling closer to the sick man Edward carefully avoided the sharp elbow which was being jabbed in his direction so he could settle as close to Jonathan as possible. Brining up one of his hands, he started to run his fingers through Jons' hair, lightly scraping the scalp with his fingertips and stopping to occasionally twist his fingers gently in the dark brown hair. Jon immediately stopped trying to push Edward away. "This. This I will allow however." Jonathan sighed blissfully.

"Damn right you will. I think someone as brilliant as me would know exactly how to make you feel better when you're being so miserable and grouchy." Edward said soothingly with only a hint of his usual cockiness. "You're more of a bastard than usual when you are not feeling your full chipper self."

"Meh." Jonathan agreed quietly. "I want it made perfectly clear that if you catch this from me then I will not be taking care of you as it will be entirely your own fault." Jon said quietly but his voice held none of the viciousness it had earlier since he was actually quite enjoying Edwards' ministrations.

"I am sure you won't." Edward said disbelievingly.

"Do not test me child. It will not work in your favour." Jon answered firmly.

"Did you know those were some of the very first words you ever said to me? On our very first meeting at that Wayne Industries laboratory." Edward mused quietly as he thought back that chance encounter many years before.

x-x-x-x-x

"Hasten yourselves." Jonathan hissed as he watched his hired goons load up the stolen chemicals he had just acquired from the Wayne Tech lab he had just broken into. "We only have a limited amount of time before the Bat arrives." He paused to adjust the small pumpkin brooch he used to fasten his cape in the front as he watched the men hurry to load the chemicals into the small van. By his estimation he had around thirty minutes left to get this finished.

"Tut tut tut!" Came a loud and disgustingly obnoxious voice from the other side of the laboratory. "We rogues really do need to set up a calender or at least a schedule to stop awkward meetings like this." Jonathan squinted and was able to make out a man flanked by two women, one blonde and one brunette. The entire trio was dressed in a vivid shade of emerald green; the man wearing a full three-piece suit and the women in green leotards with a large black question mark in the center of each. The man looked very...young and Jonathan assessed that he was probably only a few years younger than himself but just possessed very boyish features.

"Hmm...I had heard the rumours of a new villain on the streets but I do not take to do with such things." Jonathan kept a wary eye on the intruders as his men continued their work.

The man scowled as he realised that Jonathan did not know who he was. "The name is Edward Nygma but you can call me the Riddler. Easy enough to remember, even for someone as supposedly intelligent as you. These lovely ladies," he gestured to the women, "and Query and Echo. You are Dr Jonathan Crane, ex-lecturer at Gotham Univeristy and self-proclaimed Master of Fear."

"That I am." Jonathan replied evenly, attempting to gauge the newcomer.

"I must say that I have read about you in both scientific journals and the local newspapers and I am a little impressed by your achievements in your chosen field. Only a little though. And it pales in comparison to what I could achieve in similar circumstance."

"How lovely. Boys." Jonathan spoke to his goons. "Please remove this nuisance, I have no time for distractions tonight." The thugs smirked as they advanced towards the trio but soon stopped as the pair of attractive women pulled out obscenely large machine guns from behind their backs. "Ahh. Maybe not then." Jonathan sighed as his men retreated slightly.

"A word please Mr Nygma?" Jonathan called out politely and gestured towards the empty space in the middle of the room. If he could get within striking range then he could deal with this issue himself and be on his way.

"You only had to ask Dr Crane." Edward smiled and gestured for his girls to stand down while he met with the good doctor. Mirroring Jonathans' forward movements the pair met in the center of the room. "Now what would you like to discuss?"

"We will have plenty of time to discuss business in the future Mr Nygma since you seem to think yourself a real threat to the Bat. At the moment though, I would merely like to ask what you consider your greatest fear. Or better yet, i'd like you to show me!" Jonathan thrust his hand into his pocket and plucked out a canister of toxin which he aimed directly at the arrogant man but by the time he had accomplished this action Edward had pulled out a weapon of his own.

Pointing a relatively large magnum pistol squarely at Jonathans' forehead, Edward tisked. "Nice try Dr Crane, or do you prefer Scarecrow? As I said, I have done my research. Now I am only here for a small microchip which I need for a project I am planning and I would hate to have to embarrass and kill you over something so trivial. So it would be in your best interests if that canister did not leak even an atom of its contents." Edward exclaimed, a vicious smirk on his youthful features as he waved the gun slightly.

Frowning as he realised they were at an impasse, Jonathan lowered his canister while Edward did the same. "Come on now Dr Spooky! Try not to be so bitter or foolish. We rogues need to stick together in these harsh times."

"Do not test me child. It will not work in your favour. But if you would like for us to get to know each other better then I would be more than happy to pencil you in for a session. Already I can detect several personality disorders which I would love to begin dissecting." He smiled as he saw the younger man shiver.

"I will be collecting my microchip now Dr Crane. And, as a courtesy from one villain to another, I should let you know that the silent alarm will be triggered in exactly ten minutes from now." He nodded to Crane before shouting back to his accomplices. "Do you have it girls?"

"Yes bossman." The brunette giggled as she held up the small piece of metal.

"Excellent. Well Scarecrow it has been fun. Perhaps we shall meet again one day." The Riddler, Edward, tilted his head in goodbye as he turned to collect his girls and leave with his stolen intel. Jonathan kept his expression completely blank as he watched him leave, he wasn't lying when he said he would be happy to pencil him in for a session. The man had bravado but Jonathan could see the echoes of uncertainty which permeated his entire being and the shadows which haunted his eyes. _Yes, Mr Nygma. Hopefully we shall meet again and when we do I will certainly be discovering what fears keep you awake at night._

x-x-x-x-x

"You were utterly intolerable in your early days as a criminal." Jonathan remarked wryly while Edward continued to massage his scalp. "So eager to prove yourself. You became much more easier to deal with after you 'chilled out' as the kids would say. Whatever happened to Echo and Query though? I haven't seen hide nor hair of those girls in years."

Edward smiled affectionately as he thought of his two favourite sidekicks. "Last I heard they were both living over in Central City running a small arms operation. They always were incredibly efficient and i'm happy to report that they're doing well. I still receive a birthday gift every year without fail and also the occasional phone call, my girls like to know i'm doing well. They ask after you as well."

"That's probably just to make sure they don't need to come back over to Gotham and murder me over any perceived slight toward you. Their loyalty towards you is unquestionable."

"And very touching." Edward agreed. "But enough about the past, would you like to whip up a batch of chicken soup?"

"Throw some arsenic in and then I will consider it."

"Honestly Jonathan, and you have the gall to tell people that I am over-dramatic. It's only the flu." Jonathan grumbled something rude under his breath as he used the last of his energy to push Edward out of the bed towards the kitchen. "Okay then. Soup it is."


	6. It Could Just Be Coincidence

Jonathan arrived outside the door to Freezes' lair. Victor had set himself up inside an old ice cream factory and Jonathan was struck by how genuinely stereotypical both himself and the rest of the masked rogues were when it came to choosing locations for lairs. He had never known a city in his life to have so many old and decrepit buildings which were so perfect for the various themed villains which had come crawling out the woodwork as the years had ticked by.

He knocked quietly on the rusted door and waited to be admitted entrance. If it were pretty much anyone else he had a meeting with he would have simply entered unannounced and made himself comfortable while he waited for the other individual to prepare themselves but Freeze was one of the few exceptions. The majority of the rogues gallery had a respect for Victor Fries which they rarely afforded to anyone else and even Jon himself admired the man. Jonathan was an individual who was dedicated to his work and was willing to die to further it and he recognised the same instinct and determination in Freeze. The main and obvious difference being that Victors' entire self was dedicated to protecting and saving his wife Nora, whom he still continued to love with every fiber of his being even after all the years they had been separated, while Jonathans' aims were much more selfish.

The door opened slowly and Jonathan allowed himself to slip inside. Turning to face the other man, Jonathan nodded in greeting, "Hello Victor." He pulled his jacket tighter against his body as he tried to acclimatise himself to the suddenly low temperature, the lower Victor managed to keep his lair the less effort he had to make to keep himself at sub-zero and while it was much more efficient for him it didn't really make for a fun visit.

"Hello Jonathan." Freeze responded in his deep voice which always held a foreign lilt to it even though the man had lived in Gotham for the last few decades. "How are you today?" He asked politely.

"Excellent. No complaints. And you?" Jonathan replied as he was led into the main room which Freeze was using as his headquarters and lab.

"I am fine. I can feel the beginnings of a breakthrough in my research and it will hopefully be a step forward in my goals." Freeze lowered his helmet so that he could give Jonathan eye-contact. "I will find myself in need of test subjects soon, if you would be so kind as to deliver me some in exchange for my help today? And yes I do remember that you released me from Arkham."

"Test subjects?" Jonathan contemplated the request. "Human or non?"

"Rats or rabbits will be sufficient for the moment."

"I will have Edward order some up for you the next time we meet. His connections for those services are much vaster than my own." Jonathan nodded again to let Freeze know that the terms were acceptable.

"Ahh yes. Also send Edward my regards the next time you two meet since I understand that he also assisted in my release from Arkham."

"I will Victor." Jonathan agreed. How much Freeze knew about the relationship between Edward and himself was a mystery to Jonathan but Freeze generally took nothing to do with relationships which existed between the other rogues. He was a very solitary figure and was known for avoiding getting involved with the various in-fighting which occurred. "And how is Nora?" He asked in response, decided that it was only polite to enquire.

Freeze hesitated before responding. "There was an incident a week ago. Nora and myself were attacked inside this very lab."

"Someone attacked Nora?" Jon asked in surprise. It was common knowledge that any perceived attack on Nora Freeze would result in Freeze himself completely abandoning his calm demeanour in favour of utter fury which was almost biblical in its nature. And Freeze also knew how to hold a grudge. The Joker had made an attempt on Noras' life about a decade previously and Freeze had been responsible for the deaths of over twenty different Joker henchmen before he realised that his attempts to kill the clown would be futile. In lieu of the Jokers' demise, Freeze had sworn to never help or offer assistance in any of the clowns schemes until his dying day and he had increased the amount of security he had protecting his wife.

"Yes." Victor frowned as he recalled the incident. "I was working on developing a new type of cryogenic formula when two men broke in silently and attempted to murder us both." He glanced over at the cryogenic tube which housed Nora with a sad glance before his face hardened considerably. "They were, obviously, unsuccessful."

"Were they acting of their own accord?"

"I...was unable to ask. They were dead before I had time to consider my actions." Freeze admitted quietly. "But on a more positive note, I was able to test out my new freeze ray and it works spectacularly."

"Do you think they were send here by someone? Who would be idiotic enough to attack you in your own lair?" Jonathan asked curiously.

"That I do not know. But their deaths were quick and the same will happen to anyone else who is foolish enough to try."

"Last week you say? That's odd. There was also an attack on Harley and Ivy in Ivys' lair last week. Ivy was taken and almost buried alive but she wasn't able to identify her attackers."

Freeze frowned again. "That is odd. Do you think the two incidents are related?"

Jonathan shrugged. "With the amount of enemies that each of us have built up over the years it could just be coincidence. I mean, those who fear us make attempts to kill us on a regular basis."

"Coincidence is possible but still, I would advise caution."

"Noted." Jonathan sat in one of the available seats and produced a few vials from his front pocket. "Now I believe I was here to discuss the effects of sub-zero temperatures on the development and dispersal of my toxin." Freeze nodded and pulled a small book off a nearby desk as he prepared to spend the day working with Jonathan.

x-x-x-x-x

Returning back the apartment, he found it empty. Edward apparently had business to attend to and had obviously chosen not to inform him. Jonathan made a mental note to inform Edward of the attack on Freeze and his wife since something about it was not sitting right with him. Since his night was apparently going to be a lonesome one, Jonathan decided to put the new information he had obtained from Freeze in relation to his toxin to work immediately. Quickly changing into his 'work' clothes, he headed directly downstairs into the basement. Standing at the base of the stairs he paused for a moment to observe the room around him and his eyes eventually settled on the dentist chair which had been giving him so much trouble recently.

After seeing Edwards' reaction to the torture chair in the museum exhibit Jonathan realised that the chair itself was obviously acting as a trigger for the younger mans' fear and as long as the chair remained in the basement, Edward would not venture down here. This knowledge was incredibly irritating. Jonathan really loved the aesthetic which the dentists chair provided the large space but was also forced to admit that he missed Edwards' presence down in the basement with him. When Jon worked on his toxin Edward usually used his own section of the basement to either further develop his plans or use the training mannequin to practise his self-defense techniques. Things were completely different however when Jonathan had a victim in the basement for testing. It was one of the few times when the darker facets of Edwards' personality shone through as he watched with obvious fascination as Jonathan slowly dissected the minds of the poor souls who had been unfortunate enough to be selected for testing.

Edward liked to pretend that Jonathan was the only sadist in their relationship but Jonathan knew that such a statement wasn't exactly true. Edward had tortured his own father to death many years previously and he still regularly watched people die as a result of their inability to answer a few simple questions. And usually with a cruel smile on his face. Edwards' inner darkness was one of the things which had initially attracted Jonathan to the man in the first place and catching Edwards' calculating gaze with his own while he was in the middle of destroying some fools mind always sent a flood of warmth through his system. They really were much similar than either would like to admit. Sighing deeply and with regret, he came to a decision. Picking up a large screwdriver, he rolled his sleeves up and beginning the long and difficult task of dismantling the dentists chair.

x-x-x-x-x

Arriving home much later than anticipated, Edward strolled up the street towards his apartment. He had been called out on sudden business, an issue with one of his real estate developments, and he had been forced to see to the problem himself. His casual whistling was interrupted as he caught sight of the large skip which lay outside the apartment block. Not that the skip itself was anything new but Edward could see a very familiar looking piece of furniture sitting inside it. _Why would Jon throw out the dentist chair?_ He wondered vaguely, he knew that Jonathan legitimately liked it. Not that he was complaining of course since that chair now filled him with a genuine unease that he was unable to shake.

Moving past the skip, he hurried up into the apartment to find that the lights were off and he discovered that Jonathan was already in bed. Stripping off his suit, he quickly changed into his night clothes and slid into the outrageously comfortable space. "Jonathan?" He inquired in the darkness and waited for a reply. After a minute of no response he sighed and rolled to the side as he prepared to sleep.

"Yes?" Asked the allegedly sleeping man.

"Why did you throw the dentist chair out? You loved that damn thing and it cost me an absolute fortune."

Jon hesitated. "I decided that a change was needed. I have a replacement item coming tomorrow. Do not concern yourself with it."

"Okay then." Edward responded softly as a small grin made its way onto his features. He knew damn well why Jon threw that chair out. "Good night Jon." He was silent for a few moments before whispering as quietly as he possible could. "Thank you." He was unsure if Jon had even heard him or not but after a second he felt a bony hand brush his wrist as two fingers lay gently on top of his pulse point. This was a new habit which Jon had developed since Edwards' near-death experience at Scarecrows' hands and Edward suspected that this action was Jons' way of comforting himself as he kept a conscious track of Edwards' pulse. Moving his arm slightly to give Jon easier access, Edward shut his eyes and soon fell asleep.


	7. We Have Children?

Snatching a champagne flute from a nearby waiter, Edward leaned back against the wall and sipped delicately at it while he assessed his surroundings. Selina had acquired two spare invites for this party at Wayne Manor and since Harley and Ivy were unavailable to attend she had offered them to Edward and Jon instead. Bruce Wayne himself was not in attendance and Edward was also unable to spot any of his adopted brats hovering around. Regardless, the fight to get Jon to even get dressed and attend this event was a complete disaster and Edward had been forced to bring his private tailor in at the last minute to fix him up a suitable outfit.

She had done well though and Edward was very impressed with the results. The black suit which Jon was wearing was fitted perfectly and it helped to disguise his thin frame slightly and give him a much healthier and less easily-recognisable look. Edward had spent over an hour attempting to convince him to wear a green tie so that they could at least match a little but he had been unsuccessful and so a black tie had been used instead. As a result, Edward had decided to swap his usual green accessories for a less obvious shade of royal purple which he also found complimented his overall look. Even Jon had to admit that they looked quite the pair when they made the effort, well, when HE made the effort. Edward was pretty consistent in his vanity and style.

"Can you at least look pleased to be here?" Edward sighed. "For all the time I ever ask you to accompany me to these type of events!" Jonathan tried to force a smile onto his face but Edward quickly intervened. "Oh god no. That just looks painful. Just stand and try to block out the ignorant babble of the fools around us."

"Do you want to know what would put a smile on my face? Being at home and actually conducting the very important work which I had to do tonight."

Ignoring his tone, Edward continued. "Would you like to dance?"

"No. I cannot and will not dance."

"Jon. You were raised as a good southern boy and I know for a fact that you are actually quite a good dancer so do not think you are fooling me."

"And yet my answer remains no."

"You are being deliberately difficult Jonathan. All i'm asking for is one dance. We both know you are not that bad of a dancer so lets stop pretending that's the issue here." Edward frowned. "Selina gave us these invites in good faith. Do not ruin this night for me."

"The only thing ruining this night," Jonathan countered as he stared angrily at Edward, "is your insistence that I start to do things which I came here with absolutely no intention of doing. I think you'll find that I swore I would not embarrass myself in front of all these people before we even left the apartment and I do not see what has chang-"

"Excuse me?" A cool voice cut across the bickering couple and they both turned to see a man standing behind Edward. "My name is Michael. Would you care for a dance?" He held a well-manicured hand out towards Edward and waited for a response. It was clear to both Edward and Jonathan that his interest in Edward extended further than just a simple dance if the seductive expression on his face was anything to go on and Jon opened his mouth to tell him to leave when he heard Edward reply.

"Sounds good to me. Lead the way." Smiling politely at the man, Edward took the offered hand and allowed himself to be led to the dancefloor. Glancing back towards Jonathan he was disappointed to see Jonathan standing where he had left him with an expression of pure boredom on his features. Determined not to allow Jonathans' mood to ruin his night he waited for the music to begin before he started to waltz with the blonde man who had approached him.

Watching as Edward spun across the dancefloor with the stranger, Jonathan was filled with utter fury as every instinct inside his body was screaming at him to attack the pair and reclaim what was his. He knew that Edward would never cheat on him with another person, they respected each other enough to never even consider such a thing. There was an unspoken agreement that they were much more likely to kill each other before they would be unfaithful but that didn't stop Jonathan from feeling the way he did. He was adult enough to accept the fact that he did feel incredibly jealous at seeing Edward enjoying the company of another, even though he knew Edward was only doing it to punish him. Jonathan Crane was possessive by nature and he liked the things which he considered his to remain his. And Edward definitely fell into the category of things which Jonathan considered 'his' and he knew Edward had the same sentiment.

Deciding that this had went far enough, he dumped his drink on a nearby table and moved towards the dance floor as swiftly as possible without attracting attention. Spotting Edward and his dance partner, he snuck up behind the pair and stabbed the unsuspecting stranger in the upper thigh with one of the filled needles which he had hidden inside his suit. Instantly the man began to waver and he slumped backwards into Jonathans' waiting arms.

"Is he okay?" One of the female dancers paused as she noticed the unconscious man. "What happened?"

"Too much to drink, I think." Edward cut in smoothly as he stared at Jonathan with an exasperated expression. "He was complaining of feeling light-headed a few minutes ago. I guess it must have caught up with him." Two waiters appeared from nowhere and offered to place the man in a side room until he regained consciousness, which Edward agreed to. Watching them leave, he turned back to Jonathan and spoke quietly. "And now I seem to have found myself without a partner. Jonathan would you like to dance?"

Jonathan pretended to consider the offer for a few seconds before taking Edwards' hand a little more forcefully than necessary. Edward winced at the sudden pressure. "I'll take that as a yes then shall I?" He said wryly as they wove slowly amongst the other couples. "What did you inject him with?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Nothing dangerous." Jonathan admitted. "Just something which should keep him unconscious for a few hours and give him a serious headache for at least a week. Why do you care?" He asked a little harshly.

"I never said I did care. The man was a complete bore. I regretted accepting his invitation as soon as he opened his mouth. Boring. Boring. Boring." Edward spoke in a sing-song voice. "Did it bother you? Were you...jealous?"

"Of course not." Jonathan smiled sweetly as he spun Edward around before pulling him close. His hand tightened against Edwards' side in a very threatening manner as his fingers dug into the soft flesh just above his hip. Leaning in, he whispered in his ear. "Of course if I was a jealous man then I would have to say that if it did happen again I would not hesitate to inject you and the other individual with enough toxin to destroy the minds of ten average men."

Edward swallowed a little as he heard the danger in Jons' voice. He was pissed alright. "Point taken."

"Good." They continued to dance for a while, completely ignoring the surrounding guests as they chatted idly about the various individuals they had seen around the room whom they had some history with.

"Do you see the blonde in the white asymmetrical dress, directly behind me?" Jon tilted his head so he could get a better view. "She once hired me to ruin the life of her husband since she was planning on divorcing him and he intended to give her nothing."

"And how did that go for you?" Jonathan asked interestedly. He knew Edward would occasionally take the odd freelance criminal job if the subject interested him enough but those events were few and far between.

"Very well. As it turned out the man in question had an, umm, predilection for young girls who were just below the age of consent. The wife did not know and when I handed her the file she submitted it anonymously to the GCPD. He hung himself in jail a few weeks later."

Jonathan smirked. "Oh well, he was no great loss to society. How did it feel to play the hero Edward?"

Snorting, he responded. "A hero? Sure. But I suppose I did do my part for society on that one. The $150,000 cheque I received for my services to the woman after she inherited his entire fortune was more than enough compensation."

"Not bad for a few hours work."

"Is that why you're with me Jon? For my money?"

"You have caught me. I was planning on marrying you and then having you murdered so I could take everything. The money, the jewels, the house, the children."

"We have children?"

"Does Harley count?"

"Ahh yes. How could I forget." Edward replied wryly. "You'd better not let her hear you say that, she would take it as an offer."

Their musings were cut short by a quiet ringing in Jonathans' front pocket. "Hello? Jervis. We are here. Yes...Okay. Thank you for letting us know Jervis." Jonathan hung up the phone and moved in close to Edwards' ear again. "We need to leave as soon as possible. Jervis is planning a surprise visit to this little party and it would be prudent for us to be as far away as possible before that happens."

"That is probably a good idea. Give me a second and I will message Selina to let her know what is happening." He pulled his phone out and sent off the text quickly before pausing to take one final look around the ball room. "I never did like Bruce Wayne." Edward announced quietly as he handed Jonathan his suit jacket while he pulled on his own. Jon could see the mischief that was alight in Edwards' eyes and he knew that he was planning something untoward.

"What are you up to Edward?" Jonathan asked lazily as he pulled his jacket on and prepared to leave.

Winking at the older man, Edward moved backwards slightly and allowed a middle-aged brunette woman to collide harshly with him. Using the womans' momentum he spun her around a little and used her to knock one of the small vases which had been on a pedestal to the floor. "Oh my!" The woman exclaimed as she attempted to pick up the small shards of broken vase. "What have I done now?" She said tipsily while Jon and Edward made their escape towards the door.

"A vase? You broke a vase. You are truly a master criminal Edward and I am in awe of your abilities." Jon announced sarcastically as he slid into the drivers seat of the car.

"Uncultured swine." Edward giggled. "Do you even know what I just broke? It was a one of a kind ancient Chinese vase, recently acquired by Wayne in an online auction for just under half a million dollars."

Jon raised an eyebrow. "That is a lot of money for such a tiny vase."

"I know. Ah well! You win some, you lose some. Poor Wayne. He'll just need to buy himself a new one."

"Your concern for the man is touching." Jonathan drawled. Edwards' unexplainable dislike for Bruce Wayne was common knowledge but his pettiness when it came to getting one over on the man never failed to amuse him. "Homeward bound?"

"Homeward bound."


	8. A Stereotype Unto Yourself

Edward glanced at his appearance in the mirror and groaned dramatically. After the party at Wayne manor the previous evening he had come home with Jonathan and spent the majority of the night contending with a very jealous and possessive Jonathan if the marks all over him were anything to go by. He could see the beginnings of several mouth-sized dark purple bruises peeking out from underneath the collar of his nightshirt and he cursed the sleeping man. There was no way he could meet with Dent today looking like a battered housewife. Then again, Jon did make Dent uncomfortable and he briefly debated letting Dent know how he had spent his night just so he could see the disgusted reaction but decided that it was childish. So maybe he would, he's have to wait and see.

He yawned dramatically as he cursed Jon again for his current state of exhaustion. He realised that a shower was probably his best chance of waking up properly and he hurried to the bathroom to switch it on. Waiting for the water to heat up, he tried his best to calm down the bruising which littered his entire body as a result of Jons' aggressive actions. Smirking slightly as he recalled the previous night he made a mental note to bring out Jons' jealous side more often. Not that Jon was entirely unmarked himself, Edward knew that the other man would have quite the impressive collection of scratches on his back and he grinned at the thought.

Stripping out of his night clothes quickly, he headed straight for the shower but was halted by the sudden ringing of the doorbell. Swearing quietly, he dashed into the bedroom silently to throw on a pair of black trousers and a green shirt so he could at least look a little presentable. Dent was early and since Edward had also slept in he wasn't exactly prepared to receive company at the moment. But he also didn't want Jon to wake up and interrupt this meeting so he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to let Dent in.

Unimpressed at having been caught unaware, he yanked the front door open. "Nygma." Dent greeted as he stepped inside the large apartment pausing to glance at the green-themed room around him with obvious distaste. "Jesus christ."

Edward turned away to finish buttoning up the bottom of his shirt. "If you have some kind of problem with the room then you can turn around and walk straight back out. You called this meeting and I was kind enough to allow it to take place within my home." Edward warned.

"Whatever, we don't actually care." Dent replied, shrugging. He was dressed in his typical two-tone monochrome suit and Edward could see he was fully armed as usual.

"That's nice to know. So how does this glorious morning find you?" Edward winced as he walked through to the kitchen to make some coffee. He gestured to Dent with the pot and waited for a nod of confirmation from the other man before placing two cups out.

"Fine."

"Talkative as ever I see. So what have you been doing since I freed you from the asylum my binary friend?"

"A bit of this and that." He accepted the cup which Edward was holding out for him before both men returned to the main room.

"Sounds exciting. Have you met up with dear Gilda since you got out?" Edward asked slyly knowing it would get a reaction.

"You mind your own damn business Nygma." Dent replied hotly. "Or would you like me to remind you not to meddle." His hands drifted lazily to the twin magnums he had on him constantly.

"Relax Dent." Edward quickly interjected. "I am just concerned for your love life and mental well-being."

"You're a fucking liar Riddler!" He hissed before calming slightly. "But yes, I have seen her and that's all you need to know. But enough of the pleasantries, can we move on to actual business i'm here for?"

"Whatever suits you Dent." Edward held up his hands to placate the irate man. "Don't shoot the questioner. So what can I do for you? For a modest price obviously."

"The Second National Bank. I'm going to rob it but they've upped security since the last time I made a 'withdrawal'. Someone-" Dent began but was interrupted.

"And how many times have you robbed that particular bank Harvey? At this point they probably have a gambling pool in place concerning how long it will be before you pay another visit." Edward spoke wryly. "You are a stereotype unto yourself." He held his mug out to emphasise his point before sipping from it.

Dent listened to the criticism patiently before taking a slow, casual look around the green and black themed living room around him before fixing Edward with a pointed look which caused him to frown. Continuing his speech with a victorious smile, Dent started to subconsciously flip his coin in his right hand. "Anyway, someone recently stole a great deal of money from one of my hideouts and I need it replaced. So i've planned to rob the Second National and I need you to create me a device to block out the new alarm system remotely so that I can in and out without a damn problem."

"Who stole from you? Black Mask? Penguin? And what timeframe are you looking at?"

"Dunno. I have a few suspects but no actual evidence. It was weird but i'm looking forward to putting a bullet between the thieves eyes when they are caught." His scarred lips curled upwards. "I will need the device within the next two weeks."

Edward nodded. "I could probably do it within the week if I can get the blueprints for the bank including the camera locations." He looked at Dent expectantly.

"Consider it done Nygma."

"Ahh ahh ahh! Not so fast Dent. We haven't discussed payment yet."

"How much will the device cost to make?"

"The device itself will cost a few thousand. But then there is also labour costs since you have a literal genius taking time out of his precious day to create it. Not just any idiot could do it, as you clearly have discovered."

Growling slightly, Dent clenched his coin tightly in his hand. "Shut up. So what figure are you looking for?" He said through gritted teeth.

"Since we're good friends." Edward paused while Dent scoffed. "How does five sound? Plus the usual favour obviously. My brains can only get me so far in life, sometimes I have need of a strapping man like yourself to do the heavy lifting."

Tactfully ignoring the implied insult, he nodded. "Five thousand is acceptable."

"Excellent! I look forward to working with you." He grinned obnoxiously while Dent scowled.

"Did you know that back in my DA days you were always one of the psychos I wanted to see fry in the electric chair the most." Dent offered casually as he flipped his coin.

"And yet you still couldn't ever catch me. Genius always wins over brawn. Did you ever tell the Dark Knight you felt that way?" Edward said as he stretched his neck out.

"I'm sure he agrees deep down but i'm glad to see he's kicked your ass recently at least."

"What?" Edward asked. He had not encountered Batman since he was last thrown in the asylum and was confused by Dents' statement. Instead of replying Dent pointed with a scarred hand at Edwards' upper chest which had become exposed during his stretch.

"Oh. Yeah sure. Batman." Edward spoke patronisingly. "Batman wishes he gave me these marks. No Dent, these marks were from another much more fun source." He watched as Dent considered the words before they narrowed as realisation hit.

"That's disgusting Nygma. You and Crane need help."

"I never realised that you were such a bigot Harvey. If anything your whole 'duality' theme had led me to believe that you might 'like your bread buttered on both sides' as the kids say." Edward was well aware that Dent and his wife Gilda were two of the few officials who had openly backed the fight for gay equality while he was still DA, but it was still fun to wind the man up. "I'm offended and hurt." He placed a hand over his heart.

"Screw you Nygma. You know fine well what my issue with you and Crane is." Dents' distaste for Jon had grown over the years as Jons' fascination with his split-personality had led to him to develop a nasty habit of using his psychology prowess to dissect Dents' psyche if he was left in the mans' company for too long.

"Poor Jonathan. Although should I be flattered that you think I can do better in life?"

"You two deserve each other. I also heard about your little confrontation in the basement." Dent smirked viciously, finally pleased to have gotten one over on the other man.

Edward scowled immediately. "And how did that information reach you?"

"Met Ivy at the Iceberg Lounge and she told me." Edward muttered something dangerous but Dent failed to pick up what exactly he was threatening. "I'd like to tell you I didn't believe her but then I remembered that it was Crane so..." He let the rest of his sentence hang while Edward was plotting vengeance against the loud-mouthed plant hybrid.

"Since when did you and Ivy associate with each other? Last time you two were together for an extended period she was actively trying to murder you." Edward was not impressed in the slightest that his old business seemed to be the gossip of the day.

"I still hate the plant bitch but I overheard her speaking to the clown about it." Dent confessed. "Ivy and I are not exactly on speaking terms."

"Understandable. But would you like for me to let Jon know how you feel about him then?" Edward replied sweetly.

"No need." Came a dry voice from behind the pair. Both spun around to see Jonathan laying against the door frame of the bedroom watching the pair with a bored face. "So what is your issue with my relationship with Edward, Mr Dent?" Jonathan asked lazily but his eyes flashed with danger. "Or it it just because it's a relationship _with_ me?"

"Crane." Dent snarled. Jonathan smirked in response before pulling out a fear toxin canister from behind his back and flipping it slowly in his hands in a mockery of Dents' coin tossing. Reacting to the threat, Dent pulled out one of his magnums and fired a warning shot into the wall a few feet to Jons' left.

"NOT MY WALL!" Edward screeched in outrage. "If our business is finished here Dent then you are free to leave. Send me the blueprints I need and I will complete your device. Jonathan if you release that toxin in here then you had better hope it kills me because if it doesn't then there will be trouble." Edward warned his partner. Jon shrugged and placed the canister back in his pocket while Dent nodded politely to Edward before leaving.

Both men were silent as they listened to Dents' angry footsteps disappear down the hallway. Jon stood up straighter as Edward marched up to him with anger in his eyes. "If that gunshot stops me from getting my deposit back then I am going to be very _very_ annoyed."

"Why so tense Edward?" Jonathan held onto the upper frame of the door as he stretched his thin body out. "As if you would miss the money."

"It's the principle of the matter Jon. This is MY home and it will be respected as such."

"How many apartments do you own in Gotham?"

"Just over 120 but that is completely beside the point."

"And what did Dent want? Aside from to insult me and shoot holes in our walls."

"I need to create a simple alarm disruptor which can be used remotely. How simple. Honestly, some of our rogue companions could do with some lessons in basic programming and engineering. It's not exactly difficult."

"Whatever you say Edward. I am making coffee, would you like some?" Edward hummed in agreement and Jonathan disappeared into the kitchen. A few seconds passed before Edward heard him shout again. "And for the record, my back is unpleasantly sore this morning."

"And my entire body looks like it has went a round with Killer Croc. It seems we all have our little problems today Jon."


	9. Fear Guides Everything In Life

The apartment was as silent as the grave and any unsuspecting fool who stumbled on it would assume that it was empty. But both of the apartments' occupants were home, secluded away in the large basement as they worked on their individual projects. Jonathan stood at his usual workbench as he continued to create batch after batch of his toxin for both personal use and also for distribution. On the other side of the basement, Edward sat as his luxury desk working away diligently on his own creations. He had recently started producing a whole new set of his infamous trophies and it was a long and arduous task which usually preceded something big. Both men were content to enjoy their own space while being aware of the others' presence. Jonathan was loosely eyeing up the boxes of trophies which he could see lining the wall of the basement when he broke the comfortable silence. "How long does it actually take you to produce one of those?" Jonathan asked quietly.

"It used to take me exactly twenty-nine minutes to create one of these little babies." He stroked the top of one of the completed trophies lovingly as he continued to weld the newest one. "Now I have that timing down to eleven minutes if I concentrate."

"I would hope so given that you've created literally hundreds of them. Why do you insist on making each and every one of the yourself? It could easily be outsourced to some talented henchmen."

"Have you ever come across a talented henchman in your life?" Edward replied incredulously. "And my reasons are my own. Unlike you I am not afraid to put in a little hard graft to achieve my goals." He instantly regretted the choice of words as he saw Jonathans' head perk up a little as he turned to give Edward his full attention.

"Afraid? What an interesting choice of words." Jonathan commented as he settled the vial of toxin he was currently working on down gently in one of the test tube racks. "You're not 'afraid' of something? That seems unlikely. One of my favourite things about you Edward is that you are so ruled by your fears."

"How does fear rule my production of these?" The doubt was clear in Edwards' voice as he pointed to the trophies while keeping his back deliberately turned to Jonathan.

"You created these trophies in the hope that Batman dies in his attempts to retrieve them. You create them alone because you fear that asking for outside help will mean that another individual could claim that they assisted in the Bats destruction which would leave you without the accolades and the victory which you crave oh so desperately." Jonathan moved around behind Edward so he could whisper his observations directly into his ears. "My alter-ego wasn't wrong when he diagnosed you as suffering from atychiphobia. You do fear failure in pretty much all aspects of your life and it influences your every decision."

"Jon." Edward warned quietly. He was not in the mood for a session at the moment and his patience was wearing thin. "Back off. Now." His hands clenched around the small trophy as he resisted the urge to smash it over his partners face.

Jon took a step backwards before slinking to the side of Edward. "My apologies, I didn't realise I was making you...uncomfortable."

"The cruel smirk on your face suggests otherwise." Edward remarked as he stepped to the side to put a little more space between them. "Do you not have something important to do on YOUR side of the basement? Your bastard toxin does not create and test itself you know."

"Are you volunteering to help me out?"

"No. Why would I ever volunteer to have my darkest fears confront me? My brain should be protected at all costs due to its incredible value and I will not have it compromised by your chemicals...again."

"It can be good for the soul and a little bit of fear never hurt anyone. Fear guides everything in life and those who attempt to deny or avoid it are foolish."

"Or they possess that wonderful quality which you lack. 'Self-preservation' is what they call it."

"You have never voluntarily had a dose of my toxin Edward." Jonathans' teasing attitude had changed into something much more serious. "In fact I have never had anyone ever offer to take a dose of my toxin. I wonder how that would affect the results."

"And I guess we never will!" Edward exclaimed in false cheer as he quickly travelled over to Jons' workbench in case he found himself having to defend his person from a needle attack. It had been weeks since his last encounter with toxin and he was looking forward to keeping that lucky streak going. "Why don't you take yourself out into the streets of Gotham and find some hopeless wretch who is willing to help?"

"Because none of them will be you Edward. I already know what your deepest darkest fears are and also how the toxin generally affects you. It would be much simpler to use you than to find an entirely new subject."

"My answer is no Jon because I am not an idiot. My brainpower far exceeds everyone else and I cannot see a good reason to submit to this. I swear you are still trying to kill me."

"Why would I kill you Edward? Your massive intellect is of constant use to me and no one else can make my coffee _quite_ as well as you do."

"Still no."

"Do you not trust me Edward?" Jon asked, allowing a little bit of hurt to enter his voice.

"No." He answered instantly but avoided Jons' eyes.

"Liar. You trust me enough to sleep next to me in a bed every night while completely defenceless."

"That means nothing. I just always assume you would have more honour than to kill me in my sleep Jon."

Jon sighed and tried switching tactics. "Edward if you do this for me, I will owe you a favour."

"That means nothing to me Jon. We both help each other out as much as the other will allow and if I truly needed your help with something you would grumble and moan but we both know you would do it." His voice held a challenge as he dared Jon to disagree.

Jon paused to assess his own feelings before scowling as he realised that Edward was probably right. His affection for the green-clad man had led him to offer help repeatedly over the years which he knew he would not have done if it was anyone other than Edward who was in need. "What if I offered more than a favour?"

Edwards' interest was piqued. "And what could you offer me?"

"A request. I will allow you to make one request of me which I am unable to ignore. Provided the request will not bring harm to me or influence/destroy any of my work then I will allow you to give me one command." Jonathan answered after a moments contemplation.

Edward rose one eyebrow. He was self-aware that his mental compulsions made him like to be in control of things but Jon was a different matter. Jon was the dictionary definition of a control-freak and he positively refused to be submissive in all aspects of his life. Edward understood that he had earned a position of equality after spending years working with Jon as a partner-in-crime, friend and eventual lover, and equality was the highest honour that Jon could offer to another person. And even through his extreme narcissism, Edward had allowed Jonathan the same honour by announcing him as an equal. Brilliance needed brilliance after all. "So in exchange for co-operating fully with you and allowing you to inject me with toxin, I get the opportunity to make one request of you which you MUST adhere to. How can I trust that you will comply?"

"I am a man of my word. I do not make promises lightly." Jonathan insisted. "I will not betray you Edward and you will be doing me a great service. If it will make you more comfortable, I will use a slightly weaker dose than I was originally planning on." He added quietly. "Bear in mind that if you have accepted the dose willingly then the effects themselves may not be as potent, since the mind and body will not be in as much shock as it would be with an unexpected dose."

"Theoretically, if I agreed to this, where would it take place and how would it be conducted?" Edward was considering accepting the offer as it had peaked his curiosity. He was also sorely tempted by the rare gift which Jon has offered in exchange since having control over Jon, even with something as simple as one request, was still a very attractive option.

"I would be happy to do it here and now." He gestured to the replacement chair which he had set up in place of the old dentists' chair.

Wincing internally as he eyed the chair up, Edward spoke. "Would I have to be restrained?" His voice was not nearly as strong as he would have liked and he knew Jon would have picked up on that.

Exhaling deeply, Jon answered. "Not if you don't want to. It would be preferable for you to be as comfortable as possible. If my theory is correct then you will still experience all the effects of the toxin but at a much reduced rate. If it looks like you are really struggling then I will take the necessary actions."

"Knocking me out?"

"Knocking you out." Jon confirmed.

"And I get one request? Do I need to use it immediately after?" Edward sighed as he silently agreed to the proposal.

"Yes and no."

"Then I agree to the terms." Edward moved away from Jons' workbench and marched towards the man himself. "But if you renege on this bargain then all bets are off between you and I."

"Of course. So when would you be comfortable with the testing?"

"No time like the present." Edward grimaced.

Jonathan nodded solemnly but Edward could see the excitement in his eyes at the events which were about to unfold.


	10. If You Have A Problem Then Fix It

Edward delicately placed himself in the leather chair as he attempted to keep his breathing as even as possible. He might have agreed to this experiment but it did not mean he had to be happy about it. He watched pensively as Jon fiddled about with chemicals at his bench as he whipped up a quick dose of the toxin which would soon be coursing through his system and causing him all kinds of trouble.

"Relax dear." Jonathan attempted to use the pet name to encourage him to be less tense although it didn't really seem to be helping. His nervousness was to be expected but for this to succeed he would have to clear his mind at least a little more. Jonathan began to rub Edwards' neck with the pad of his index finger gently. He concentrated mostly on the spot he intended to inject as he attempted to get Edward to relax slightly, moving behind him quietly to finished organising the syringe he planned to use to deliver the dose.

"I am as relax as I can be." Edward bit out in response. "So how exactly do I 'not fight the effects' of the toxin? Because from experience I have found that it is an incredibly difficult feat."

"Usually when I inject someone they physically and mentally try to fight against what they see and feel. I need you to try your hardest to do neither of those things. Now, lets get started." He leaned down to kiss Edward softly as he slowly inserted the needle into the side of his neck and deposited the full amount. Breaking away he spoke quietly, "You will have around five minutes before the full effect will begin to take hold."

"Oh joy." Came the sardonic reply. Edward lay in the chair patiently as he waited for the hellish effects to begin. He was faintly aware of Jon stroking his head and he tried to concentrate on the feeling as he felt his body react to the toxin. The shadows in the corner of the room started to shift and he could sense something dangerous within them. He squinted into the darkness as he desperately tried to keep his mind as settled as possible. But then the visions started.

Jon watched with rapt attention as the minutes ticked on and Edward reacted to his hallucinations. He was visibly flinching and cowering from something which he could see in the dark space near the bottom of the chair. "I didn't." Edward whimpered as he stared into the darkness. "I didn't cheat! I'M NOT A CHEAT!" Jonathan knew immediately that Edward was seeing his father. He did have a tendency to see the deceased man as his main toxin-induced tormentor which was the perfectly reasonable result of years of physical, verbal and emotional abuse. Jonathan was still considerably impressed, usually by this point in a session Edward was virtually comatose with fear. He was certainly unable to make coherent sentences which suggested that his initial hypothesis, that accepting a dose did actually influence its effect on the individual, could be correct.

Edwards' eyes landed on Jon as they darted around the room. Jonathan could see the deep fear which filled the mans' expression and it made him smile with affection. He literally could not think of anyone else in this world who would willingly accept a dose of his toxin, especially after having experienced it before, but Edward was different. Edward has agreed to it after nothing more than a spoken agreement and Jon knew that he wasn't lying earlier when he claimed that Edward trusted him. He had heavily suspected that Edward did genuinely trust him but to actually be shown it in such a display made him feel...odd. In his long and dark life he had never really had someone who legitimately believed in him and he was unsure how to deal with this new knowledge.

On the chair, Edwards' face twitched suddenly and become clouded with utter rage as he suddenly screeched "I HATE YOU!" Jons' eyes widened in alarm as Edward leapt suddenly from the chair and snatched up a small hammer which had been left on the nearby floor. "Father." He growled as he locked onto Jons' position and advanced towards him threateningly. Slightly stunned by the sudden change in events, Jon simply backed away from Edward as he frantically tried to think of a way to calm the man down. It wasn't the first time he had been forced to deal with a violent patient but he had simply killed the others and that wasn't an option here. He tried to call out to him.

"Edward. You are hallucinating." Jon soothed in his most calm voice as he continued to move away from Edward and his murderous intent. "Your father is already dead by your hand. He is not here. Calm down Edward. It's me, Jonathan." Still clearly hallucinating that Jon was his father, Edward continued to swing wildly at the older man forcing Jon to duck and roll away from the attack.

Grabbing a small needle he had kept to the side in case of such an emergency, he timed his attack as he quickly stuck the needle into Edwards' exposed upper arms and watched as he slumped to the floor almost immediately. He was disappointed that the experiment had to be cut short but he was also pleased to have avoided being bludgeoned to death. Crouching beside the fallen man he gently picked him up bridal-style and placed him back on the reclined leather chair, pausing to check the strength of his pulse before returning to his work bench to wait for Edward to wake up again.

A loud groan alerted Jonathan to Edwards' waking. "Well that was fun." Edward said hoarsely as he rubbed his eyes and glanced balefully around the basement . "What is the time?"

"It has just passed ten. You were unconscious for just under three hours."

A nod in response. "So how did I do Doc? Did I pass?"

Jon smiled encouragingly as Edward watched him. "You did excellent Edward. Truly excellent." He paused to allow him to soak in the praise he craved before continuing. "The potency of the toxin did appear to be lessened by your acceptance and refusal to fight against the effects. Unfortunately I did have to 'take precautions' after you attempted to murder me with a hammer but that was always going to be a risk if you were left unrestrained." Jonathan allowed some regret to enter his voice. "It is a shame since the experiment was going encouragingly well."

"And I still get my request? Do not try to cheat me out of my reward since you were unprepared for possible outcomes Jon." Edward hissed. He would not allow Jon to change the terms of the bargain they had arranged, especially since he had legitimately held up his end of it.

"Do not worry. I will honour my agreement even though I did not exactly get what I needed." Jon laughed. If Edward had voluntarily agreed to be injected once then he was pretty certain he could convince him to do it again with the proper encouragement. But that could be discussed at a later date as he suspected that it may take a while. "Instead of the usual fear response you consistently succumb to, you were able to break through it with anger and physically attack me while under its influence. Usually I have to adjust the toxin and it's chemical components to get that type of result. So yes. I will honour the agreement and you have earned one request which can be used at any time."

"Good." Edward glanced around the basement as he willed the last remnants of his mild headache away. Headaches were always an unfortunate side-effect of the toxin which were somewhat unavoidable. "We really should clean up in here." He remarked as he attempted to steer the conversation to something which did not involve what had just happened. The basement was relatively tidy but it was quite dirty and Edward could see the beginnings of cobwebs in the nearest corner.

"It does not bother me." Shrugging, Jon made a face. "If you have a problem then fix it."

"Obviously you would have no problem with it. Do you remember how disgusting your boat home in Arkham City was?" Edward frowned as he recalled the space. "It was absolutely filthy. You are supposed to be a man of science, how could you have worked in such a place?"

"A better question would be 'how can you stand there and complain about my living conditions in the boat house when you constantly visited me at least once a week simply to annoy me?' That's the question I would be asking."

"You seemed lonely. And someone had to keep track of how you were healing from your surgeries."

"Lets be honest Edward, you would have slept with me in that boat if we were in a relationship at the time."

"I can promise you here and now that I would not have since I have standards. Even Freeze kept his lair in nicer shape and he was originally set up in the sewer." Jon was struck by the sudden thought that he had not gotten around to informing Edward of what he had learned from Freeze. Pulling up a small chair so he could sit beside Edward, who was still lounging on the leather chair, he cleared his throat to get his attention. "Yes?" Edward peered at him as he noticed the sudden change in atmosphere.

"Do you remember when I had my meeting with Freeze?" Edward nodded. "Well while I was working with him he revealed that both himself and Nora had been attacked the previous week by a few assailants."

"Who?" The surprise was obvious in his voice as he turned to face Jon fully. Attacks on Freeze were incredibly rare since he was known to be a solitary figure who commanded considerable respect from many of the costumed rogues.

"He does not know. They were killed almost immediately as he froze them and smashed them to pieces."

"How cool." Edward remarked coyly.

Jon gave him a look of mild disgust at the pun and moved on. "They seemed to be targeting not only him but Nora as well and we know that Victor does not take threats against his wife very well."

"That he does not. Did you mention the attack on Ivy and Harley to him?"

"Yes. He is working under the assumption that the two attacks were pure coincidence but he did tell me to exercise caution." Jon clasped his hands under his chin. "I am curious as to who could have a grudge against both Ivy and Freeze though since they have never worked together and, to my knowledge, they do not tend to associate with each other."

"Two-Face." Edward said suddenly.

"Excuse me? What could Dent have against the pair?"

"You misunderstand me. When Dent was in the apartment he told me that someone had stolen a great deal of money from one of his safe-houses and he had no real suspects as to who would be responsible. It looked to be a professional job."

"Do you think it's related?" The events did seem like odd coincidence and it was entirely possible that they were but something was instinctively telling Jonathan that there was more at play here than was initially obvious.

"Possibly. When was the last time you knew someone to have successfully robbed Dent and gotten away with it? Hell, even Selina got caught and she is the master thief."

"You are correct. But then we are just adding more questions to the pile Edward. Who would have the motivation and power to bury Ivy alive, attempt to murder Freeze and steal from Dent? Assuming that it is the one individual."

Edward leaned back in the chair and placed his hands underneath his head. "It's something of a riddle Jon. And while we have no evidence that something untoward is going on, I think we would be foolish to not be on our guard for the foreseeable future. We should contact some of the other rogues and discover if anyone else has experienced any 'misfortune' recently."

"Wise words. How do you feel about a little hunting trip tomorrow night? See if we can pick up anything on the streets?" It had been too long since Edward and himself had been on an information gathering adventure and the prospect was a tempting one. After all, he had all the new vials of toxin which were just begging to be used.

"Sounds like a wonderful plan Jon. I'll even wear my good suit and cane."


	11. No Bad Language In Front Of The Kid

"Marco is one of my best informants. He's been with me for about five years at this point. He's worked for Dent and Penguin in the past and now he's in with Sionis." Edward said as he watched the man in question walking down the alleyway towards him. True to his word the previous evening, himself and Jon had dressed in full costume for a night out on the town to gather any possible information about the weird happenings which had been brought to their attention. But first, Edward had arranged a meeting with one of his informants. "As far as henchmen go he's probably one of the least incompetent."

"That almost sounded like a compliment." Jon pointed out.

Edwards smirked. "Almost. Now i'm going to ask you once, try not to gas or intimidate Marco too badly. He's loyal to me and i'd like that to remain so."

"I promise." Jon replied in a bored tone before nodding behind Edward. "He's here."

"Marco!" Edward exclaimed as the small man approached. "How's tricks?"

"Hey boss." Marco nodded respectfully at Edward before doing the same to Jon. "I'm expected back at the Sionis Mill in an hour so I got about fifteen minutes to give you the info ya need before I have to head back."

"How is Sionis doing? Has he had that massive coronary he's due yet?"

"Nah. He's fine. Still crazy as fuck though."

"Good for him. So do you have any juicy tidbits or gossip for me this week Marco?"

"Uhh well I know Sionis is pissed that Copplepot has been able to take a few chunks of his territory here and there but nothing really big. He also has a few new heavy gun shipments due over the next few weeks and they'll be delivered to dock three. Oh yeah! I also heard Sionis talking to Ms Li about a guy they found murdered in the street. I think he was one of you costume guys. Ah what was the name?" Marco paused as he tried to remember. "Tut? King Tut that was it! He was found dead somewhere near the Ace chemicals building but i'm not too sure exactly where though."

Edward squinted at the information as he tried to remember the mans actual name. "King Tut. King Tut. What was hi-Victor Goodman! He's dead? Oh well, no great loss to the world there. I actually forgot about him in the grand scheme of things. Second-rate hack that he was." Beside Edward, Jon shrugged since he hadn't even heard of the man.

"How did he die?" Jon asked.

Marco looked a little nervous as he responded to Jons' question which pleased the master of fear greatly. "He..uhh...was stabbed I think. I only overheard a little of the conversation. I know Sionis didn't do it."

"How curious." Jon directed at Edward. "Edward when was the last time you remember a costumed villain being murdered in this town without anyone claiming the kill?"

"Hmm...it's been a long, long time. Anyway, thank you Marco. You'll find your wages in the usual spot."

"Thanks boss." Marco nodded again at the pair before slinking off into the darkness towards his other employer. Jon and Edward watched him leave patiently before they continued their journey throughout the dark streets of Gothams' slums.

x-x-x-x-x

The next few hours went by with relative peace, a few gassings here and there but no information of value was discovered and Edward was getting frustrated. At the moment they were standing on the rooftop of a pawn shop watching the dark city stretching out over the horizon. "I hate this city." Edward spoke affectionately.

"I agree." Jon nodded as he lazily pointed out a would-be mugger who he could clearly see attempting to hide in some shadows a few blocks to the north. A sudden presence behind the pair caused them to spin around in unison as they sensed they were no longer alone. There, behind them, stood Nightwing and Robin.

"Oh look. It's my favourite and least favourite winged sidekicks." Edward remarked loudly as he gazed at the duo who were standing a few meters away. Edward wasn't lying, Nightwing was always his favourite of all the children to hold the title of Robin and it had been odd to watch him grow and age as the years passed, it also had the added disadvantage of making him feel disturbingly old. The latest Robin however, he had no love for. This one was brash, abrasive and somewhat more violent than the others had been when he wasn't being kept in line. Brat.

"I'm the favourite?" Nightwing preened. "I knew I had to be someones' favourite. You hear that Robin?"

"Shut up Nightwing." Robin countered instantly. "Can we get to the part where we viciously assault them and take them to the asylum now?"

"Shhh child, the adults are talking." Jon said condescendingly to the aggressive little runt. Growling in anger, Robin launched himself at the tall man but was held back at the last second by Nightwing who spotted the gleam of a needle hidden within Jons' clenched palm.

"Robin stand down." Nightwing commanded. "Crane is armed and I cannot deal with you being dosed with toxin AND capture them both."

"Noted." Robin responded sullenly as he clicked his tongue at his mentor.

"So what brings you two men out tonight?" Making his tone as jovial as possible to avoid conflict until necessary, Nightwing was curious as to what could bring both the Riddler and the Scarecrow out together in full costume. Dick had heard rumours that the two were occasional lovers but he tried not to listen to gossip and the topic had definitely never come up in discussion with Bruce. He knew that if he had heard such rumours then Bruce would probably already be well aware. And anyway, Dick was confident that it was a good idea not to get involved with the personal affairs of the rogues, it never ended well.

"Riddle me this! When you have me, you feel like sharing me, but, if you do share me then you don't have me. What am I?" Edward answered lazily as he leaned slightly on his cane and tried to mentally plot an escape route.

Nightwing sighed while Robin replied after a moment. "A secret."

Edward swung up his cane to point the end at the small boy. "Bravo runt. That riddle was incredibly easy but i'm still suitably impressed that you answered it. There's hope for you yet!" Deciding to try and use Edwards' speech to his advantage, Jon quickly snatched a gas grenade from his costume and launched it at the pair. The canister landed at Robins' feet but he was able to nimbly backflip away from it to a safe distance before he could inhale any of its' contents. At the exact same moment, Nightwing slid over and used his considerable strength to kick the canister away from the foursome and prevent the gas from being able to dose any of them.

"Nice try Crane." Nightwing called out. "But did you really think that would work?"

"I will smash your skull for that strawman!" Damian hissed as he came back into the fray.

"Maybe this will do better?" Edward suggested as he threw a collection of small button-sized spheres which exploded into puffs of smoke which separated the two warring pairs. "If we're going to leave now would be the time darling." Edward grabbed at Jons' hand and flew to the ladder which hung at the side of the small building they were currently standing on. _Wearing gloves really does have its' advantages_ , Edward thought amused as he held onto either side of the ladder and slid down to the alleyway before waiting patiently for Jon to follow suit.

As soon as they were both safely on the ground they began to sprint as quickly as they could to put as much space as possible between themselves and the vigilantes until they could find some kind of suitable cover. The ground was wet beneath their feet and as the ran they could feel the soft spatters of water slowing soaking through to their skin as they escaped. Eventually they reached an almost completely dark and deserted alleyway and Edward ducked into it, pulling Jonathan along as they both panted heavily. Silence filled the alley as both parties kept their noise levels to an absolute minimum with the exception of the heavy breathing. Their warm breath mingled with the cold air and created small plumes of condensation which they watched passively as they floated up towards the dark skyline.

A minute passed and Edward felt him begin to relax a little. It seemed they had managed to escape the pair of bird brats for the time being. His musings were interrupted by a small banging noise which came from the rooftop just above them. Edward turned to ask Jon if he had heard the noise when the side of his face exploded with pain as he was struck with the end of a bo staff. "OUCH! Bast-" He squealed but his words were stopped by a black and blue gloved hand which prevented him from finishing the insult.

"No bad language in front of the kid." Nightwing quipped as he quickly slapped a pair of handcuffs on Edwards' wrists while he was still disorientated. Realising that he was screwed, he watched as Jon attempted to keep Robin at a safe distance

"You son of a bitch!" Damian hissed as he tried to get in closer to pound the master of fears face into the hard concrete. "When I get my hands on you i'll-"

"Good job with that." Edward smirked while Nightwing sighed as the little one continued on his foul-mouthed tirade. He finished securing Edward and bounded over to help his partner. Jon didn't last long against the combined efforts of the two and he soon found himself cuffed next to Edward with a throbbing shin, courtesy of the brat who had kicked him full force before Nightwing was able to pull him away.

After being forced into the restraining chairs inside the back of the Batmobile, Jon and Edward sat quietly as they contemplated the unfortunate turn of events. "I hope your rent in payed up for the foreseeable future." Jonathan murmured, his face periodically lighting up with red as the small alarm lights above them flashed on and off.

"My rent is always paid up six months in advance." Edward shot back. "I'm always prepared for situations like this. Plus the landlord knows who I am and that i'll be furious if she allows anyone else to move into my space. I doubt our capture will be on the news since we were not in the middle of a spree when we were apprehended but she's usually good at knowing when i'm 'away'. Shelia really likes me. She's even edited her books so any prying eyes will not see me that our apartment is registered as taken." He beamed.

"Where do you find these people? Society seems to be more accepting of your criminal deeds than mine." Scarecrow asked incredulously. No one ever offered to help him or keep his base of operations hidden. Edwards' social graces were something which he was incredibly self-aware that he lacked.

Edward laughed softly. "That's because these people recognise a mutually beneficial relationship when it's presented to them. People know that if they play by my rules then I have no reason to screw them over. You are a bit less...trusted. Plus i'm rich and money is one of the most powerful incentives in the world." He laughed.

x-x-x-x-x

Nightwing watched with mild amusement as Robin hauled Nygma through the large doors of the asylum. Dick knew that Nygma would be irritated at being manhandled by the child while Damian would be absolutely loving it. At least something made him happy. Damians' introduction into their lives only a few months after Talias' death was a complete shock to the entire family. He showed up at the door one day after having been brought by Talias' most trusted guards. It seemed that after Damians' birth she had her personal guard swear binding oaths that they would deliver him to his father if anything happened to her and they had complied after her death in Arkham City. The boy had taken a good few years to adapt to life in Gotham and to learn and abide by both Bruces' and Batmans' rules but he had settled in relatively well. His background as a trained assassin made him a natural Robin and Dick knew his baby brother could handle himself.

That said, Damian was still his responsibility. Moving back towards the rear of the Batmobile, he opened the second containment chair and pulled Crane forward from his restrained position. "You try to gas the kid again Crane and I swear I will break all ten of your fingers one by one." He hissed in his most threatening voice.

"Is that supposed to scare me? Leave the real threats to your daddy, little boy." Jon raised an eyebrow at the young mans efforts.

"It's not a threat It's a promise. You ever hit that kid with a dose of your toxin and there will not be a place in this city you will be able to hide from me." Nightwing tightened his grip on Jons' shoulder and he could feel it aching slightly at the gesture.

"We'll see about that." Jon replied, baring his teeth viciously as he refused to back down.

Growling in frustration, Nightwing pulled him from the seat harshly and shoved him towards the front doors of Arkham Asylum. "Hope you enjoy your stay Crane."


	12. Not Willing It For Him

"I hate it here." Edward complained bitterly as he was shoved into the small cell which he had grown somewhat accustomed to over the years. Since his diagnosis as a 'high-risk' patient all those years ago when he had first burst onto the criminal scene he had been assigned to this particular cell. It was like a truly terrible second home. Arkham was in equal parts better and worse in those days. The asylum itself was of a much higher standard back then but the growth of both budget cuts and a general disregard for the prisoners being held had led to it falling into slight disrepair. It also did not help that a good deal of the budget left usually went towards fixing the asylum itself after all the numerous and usually destructive breakouts which occurred on a semi-regular basis.

But some things were better now. For example, Edward quite enjoyed the level of social standing he now commanded within the asylum. It had taken a few years for him to gain some kind of credibility with the other more established villains who were already regulars here. He could still recall the childish but very justified nervousness he had experienced the first few times he had been incarcerated at this asylum as he attempted to navigate it without being targeted or murdered.

However, one of the benefits which the extensive budget cuts had brought about was that certain 'high risk' prisoners had been forced to share cells due to overcrowding. Certain individuals like Ivy and Joker were prohibited from having contact with others but those who did not have a history of violence or the ability to create poison at will were usually paired together. Edward guessed that it was pure blind luck which had led to him being paired up with Jon like he had and he was a little thankful for it. A good portion of his and Jons' interactions before they had entered into their relationship had taken place within the asylum and it was within these walls that their friendship developed as they plotted together. If he was honest with himself, Edward doubted that they would have ever found themselves in their current state if it weren't for the asylum.

"I do not think anyone has ever actually _enjoyed_ being here Edward." Jonathan countered as he stretched his back out in preparation of the awful nights sleep which he knew he was about to be faced with. "Aside from maybe Joker, but he is insane to the point that even I have no desire to spend too much time in that mans' head."

"That's just because you hate the fact that he doesn't respond to your toxin."

"...and that in itself is a perfectly worrisome phenomena." Jon nodded. "Even Batman reacts to my toxin until he gets an antidote into his system."

"Are you as embarrassed as I am that we were foiled by the baby bats instead of the Bat himself?" Edward changed the subject. "My mild ego is not going to forget that insult any time soon."

Jonathan snorted. "Mild."

"If that bowl of cerebral mush you refer to as your brain can't think of anything nice to say then do not say anything at all." Edward muttered as he walked towards the stone wall at the end of the cell. "If you would please Jonathan." He asked politely and watched as Jon stood up and walked to the reinforced glass to keep a lookout for any nearby guards. Receiving a thumbs up, Edward slowly pulled free one of the metal slates which covered the floor and pulled out a large plastic bag which was filled with all the asylum essentials which Edward had gathered and stowed away over the years.

"Is everything there?" Jonathan enquired quietly and was given a small nod in response as Edward dumped the bag out on the lower bunk of the bed which was welded into the side wall of the cell. Walking over, Jonathan snatched up one of the spare blankets which now lay on the bed and put it around his shoulders as he sifted through the other items. Edward had already thrown his own blanket onto the upper bunk and was currently trying to locate the small pencil he kept handy for the numerous puzzle books he had stashed.

"I think so. Shall we retire for the evening?"

"You read my mind Edward." Jonathan sighed as he flopped down on the small bunk with his extra blanket and pillow in hand. One of the benefits of sharing with Edward was that the mans' hedonism had some pretty impressive perks for himself. He closed his eyes as he listened to Edward make himself comfortable on the bed above.

"Do I get a goodnight kiss?"

"Would you not rather have a goodnight session? I am always available for a late-night psych evaluation." Came the immediate response and Edward could hear the smirk in Jons' voice.

"Umm...not tonight dear. Goodnight Jon."

"Goodnight Edward."

x-x-x-x-x

Edward grumbled as he pulled the thin cover over his head as he attempted to blot out the persistent man standing over him. "I've had less than two hours sleep and I don't feel like being human today."

"Edward if you do not get up in the next five minutes then the guards will storm in here and drag you out. We have to go receive our first meal of the day as per the rules." Jonathan explained patiently. Edward grumbled as he threw his covers off his body and started to get ready for the day ahead.

By the time the pair reached the dining hall, Edward was still muttering viciously under his breath. Dropping his tray of food down on one of the long tables he started to eat. "Are you going to throw a tantrum all day Edward? Because if so I will take my food and go sit with", he glanced around the room, "Ivy."

Turning in his chair, Edward followed Jons' gaze and spotted Ivy sitting across the hall. "Huh. I was unaware she was in here. Lets avoid her for the moment. I hate to fight before i've had breakfast." The pair turned turned back to their food and were surprised to see that a new guest had joined them.

"Jesus Julian!" Edward exclaimed as he brought his hand to his heart at the sudden appearance. "How can a man of your size move around so quietly?"

Ignoring the comment, Julian nodded to the pair in greeting before speaking quietly. "I have need of your services." He directed at Edward.

"In what respect?"

"I have need of a new lair and I know you are involved in Gotham real estate. I came to ask if you could assist me in finding new lodgings."

"What happened to your old lair?" Edward asked before pausing. "You didn't happen to steal from Ivy did you?" Beside him, Jon snorted lightly.

"No. My previous lair was burnt to the ground."

"That's unfortunate. How did that happen? Were you playing around with something you shouldn't my dear Calender Man?"

"It was arson. I barely escaped with my life." He replied monotonously.

Edward cocked an eyebrow. "When and who?"

"Last Monday and I do not know."

Edward and Jonathan shared a knowing glance as they added this new piece of information to their investigation. "As much as I would love to give you a new home Julian, I have a very strict policy of not renting my spaces out to known criminals, as ironic as that may seem, but I can give you the number for an excellent estate agent who I am sure you will find more than satisfactory."

Julian nodded and stood to leave. "Thank you Riddler."

As they watched him walk away, both Edward and Jonathan had the same expression of deep though on their faces. "Another piece of the puzzle." Edward murmured.

"The arson is new. Whoever is doing this obviously has no specific method of attack, which is probably not a good thing."

"We should keep an ear out for any other odd happenings. If someone is targeting the costumes then there should be other possible victims within the asylum."

"We have both been pencilled in for group therapy later so that should be the perfect opportunity." Jon smirked.

"Why are you smirking?"

"Have you seen the therapy group we have been assigned to?"

x-x-x-x-x

"It's not exactly the dream team is it?" Edward remarked. Group therapy was an absolute joke and Edward could already feel a headache developing as he glanced around the seated circle of criminals. Jon was seated to his left while his right was occupied by Ivy. To the other side of Ivy was Victor Zsasz and also Lazlo Valentin, who was apparently still incarcerated since the last time Edward had been here. The session was headed by Dr Rafferty, a new upstart who felt that his particular brand of touchy-feely psychology would be the key to rehabilitating these master criminals. Jonathan had made his feelings on this particular doctor and his theories very clear and Edward was waiting excitedly for Jonathan to begin tearing him to shreds.

Dr Rafferty smiled politely at the quintet and placed his clipboard on the floor as he gave them each direct eye contact. "Who would like to begin this session?" Complete silence met his request and he sighed deeply. "Lazlo?"

"What can Pyg say? Pyg understands that beauty is pain! His children must be beautiful so no drugs for surgery. Only drugs for Pyg."

Wincing at the response, Dr Rafferty tried again. "Victor? What about you? How to you feel today?"

"Sad." Zsasz said morosely.

"Sad? Why so sad Victor?"

"It has been over a month since I felt the warm rush of fresh blood over my hands as I liberate a new zombie. Too long. I need a fresh mark."

"The people you kill are not zombies Victor. You need to realise this."

"Congratulations Dr Rafferty!" Edward called out loudly. "You have cured him! It's a miracle! Victor now understands how wrong he was and he promises to never do it again." Beside him Jon snorted while Ivy tried to disguise a laugh as a cough.

Reddening in embarrassment, Dr Rafferty turned to give Edward his full attention. "Ahh Edward. Did you have something to offer to this therapy session?"

"You say 'therapy session' in a way that suggests that something productive will actually come from this farce of a meeting. Honestly, I could get more help from a late-night TV psychic." He said scathingly.

"Unfortunately he has a point." Ivy agreed as she picked at her nails. "This is hopeless. YOU are hopeless." She directed at the doctor. "Since when do they allow the newbies to work with us?" She asked Jonathan and Edward.

"I am not a newbie!" Dr Rafferty protested. "I have over five years of experience dealing with the criminally insane."

"And what do you have to show for it?" Jonathan jumped in. "Aside from some truly terrible and inaccurate theories which have no actual basis in reality."

"Mr Crane -"

"Dr Crane." Jonathan corrected.

" _Mr_ Crane." Dr Rafferty stressed. "You had your license revoked many years ago."

Jonathans' eyes flashed dangerously. "And yet I still earned it. I find you refusal to use my appropriate title incredibly rude and I do not appreciate it."

"And I also think you'll find that my title would also be 'Dr' Isley." Ivy cut in. "And unlike some of us present, I have not actually had my title officially revoked yet. One of the benefits of not being a sadistic fear-obsessed weirdo."

Smirking viciously at Ivy, Jon decided to cause some trouble and bring this show to an end. Glancing at Pyg, who was watching his feet as they tapped out a small tune on the floor, he called out loudly. "How dare you Ivy! Pyg is not ugly and imperfect. How could you say such a thing?"

Across the room, Pyg stilled his movements as he head came up slowly. "Pyg...ugly?" He pouted. "Pyg is not ugly. Pyg cannot be ugly. Mother would punish Pyg. PYG IS PERFECT!" He screeched and threw himself at Ivy as quickly as he could, knocking them both to the floor. "PYG IS PERFECT! YOU ARE UGLY! UGLY! UGLY!" He screamed in her face and Jon could see the spittle flying from his enraged mouth.

"GUARDS! GUARDS!" Dr Rafferty yelled as he watched the pair struggle. Eventually, Ivy got a hand free and she used her nails to draw blood from Pygs' arm before placing her open palm on top of it and smirked viciously. "AND BRING A MEDIC! IVY HAS POISIONED VALENTIN!"

"Really Jon?" Edward asked exasperatedly as he watched the tussle. "And this session was going so well. What a shame Dr Rafferty. Oh well." He stopped speaking to watch the guards pull Ivy and Pyg apart while Zsasz started to bounce about agitatedly as the room became filled with various staff.

"Same time next week gentlemen and lady?" Edward laughed as himself and Jon were asked to return to their cells.

x-x-x-x-x

"Well that was an eventful day." Edward yawned as he stood as the glass wall, watching as the various staff flitted about doing their jobs. "I think Pam might be holding that one against you though Jon. Do you have any other secret lairs which she can destroy with vines? Because if she comes for my apartment then i'm also going to be holding you responsible."

"She will be fine i'm sure. I wonder if Pyg will survive his poisoning though." Jon answered from his position on the bed.

"I am not willing it for him."

"Same."

Edward sat down next to Jon on the bed. The asylum beds were purposely made to be far too small to be shared for any length of time but Edward felt himself craving a little human contact. He moved so that he could stretch out on the bed and place his head on Jons' lap. "So what do we think of Calender Man then?" Jonathan asked quietly.

"He looks like a giant man-baby." Edward replied bitchily.

Chuckling gently, Jon looked at the man on his lap and continued. "That's not what I was asking."

"I know." Edward grinned as he pulled a book out from under the bunk and settled in for some peaceful reading before bed.


	13. That Was A Disaster

Waking up in the dark, Edward clasped his hands over his heart as he attempted to quell the erratic beating. The disturbing sights of the nightmare he had just had were still playing out before his eyes and he opened them as wide as possible as he stared at the wall in an attempt to banish them back his subconscious. Realising that sleep was probably going to elude him for the remainder of the night, he swung his legs over the side of the bunk and dropped silently to the floor. Walking to the far wall he sat on the floor and leaned his back against it, enjoying the feeling of the cool wall against his agitated body.

Glancing at the lower bunk, he could only see Jons' dark brown hair since he was facing away from Edward. They had been inside the asylum for almost a month a this point and Edward could feel himself growing uncomfortable with the prolonged incarceration. He genuinely did hate this asylum at times and the residual fear he was experiencing from his nightmare made him want to wake Jon up, if only to have someone to talk to. But that was a risky move. There was always the chance that Jon would exploit his momentary weakness and leave him in a worse state that he started. He was brought out of his musings by Jons' sleepy voice.

"Edward?"

"Yes Jon?"

"Why are you on the floor?"

"Bad back. The stone wall is good for realigning my spine."

Jon sighed at the lie and turned to face him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Edward hesitated, "...no."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"Then we won't. Would you like some company?"

"No Jon. It's okay. Go back to sleep."

"Okay." Jon shrugged and turned back to face the wall. Edward smirked a little at how much of a fight Jon put up to support him. Deciding that he could at least do something useful with his time he grabbed a small pad of paper and pen from under the bed and started to map out all the odd misfortunes which had befallen his fellow rogues.

x-x-x-x-x

When Jon and Edward had been informed that they were being pencilled in for couples therapy they were horrified. Not due to the fact that they felt they needed it, they were well aware that it would be an absolute joke from start to end, but because this now meant that their association with the other would now be on record. Which is something neither wanted since associations usually lead to trouble, especially when those involved are master criminals. They couldn't even attempt to deny the existence of a relationship due to the fact that they had been caught in a compromising position by two of the Arkham doctors in one of the various storerooms. Until that point the staff actually had no evidence that the two were in a relationship but now it was the hot gossip of the day.

So here they were in the third week of their couples therapy with the incompetent Dr Rafferty. Having taken offence to the way the duo treated him in their first group session, Rafferty had taken it upon himself to administer their couples therapy personally. All in all, Edward would say that it was not going well.

"So last week, before we ran out of time, we were about to begin talking about your feelings that Jonathan under-appreciates you Edward. What do you wish to say?"

"Yes Doctor, sometimes I do feel that Jon does not appreciate me. Do you want to know how he spent my birthday? He spent it torturing a banker to death in our basement. ON MY BIRTHDAY! That was supposed to by my special day and he ruined it." He paused to sigh and pout.

"What Edward fails to mention," Jon interrupted, "Is that the banker was a man who Edward held a personal grudge against and that he also spent the day down in the basement helping me to destroy the mans' mind. Then we went to dinner if I remember correctly." He placed one hand under his chin as he pretended to recall the event.

"Is that true Edward?" The doctor looked back to Edward.

"I suppose." He paused before his eyes lit up with mischief. "I also want children." Edward blurted out and he had to school his features to keep the smile from his face as he watched Dr Raffertys' eyes widen in shock. "Just two perfect little children that I could love and nurture. I feel it would be the best way for me to leave this criminal life."

Unable to stop himself, Rafferty asked. "Do you really think children would be a good idea when you are currently with your...uhh...current partner?"

"And what exactly are you implying?" Jon asked dangerously. He was getting quite tired of all the backhanded insults and disrespect which this under-achieving hack had been throwing his way over the last three weeks. He was content to sit and plot revenge but it was really starting to grate on his nerves.

"You are a noted psychopath with an uncontrollable desire to inspire fear in others." Dr Rafferty read from his notes. "A child would not be safe in your presence."

"And you are clearly both incompetent and ignorant. Anyone with even the slightest insight into my intentions and goals would realise that I have absolutely no reason to inspire fear in a child. Children make no attempt to hide or deny the fears which affect their lives since they are so innocent to the world around them and experience so much fear on a daily basis. True, I dislike being in the presence of children but I would never willingly attack one. Any child who is unfortunate enough to cross my path would be in no real danger from me."

"Aside from Robin." Edward interjected.

"Aside from Robin." He agreed. "But that is a very rare exception to the rule. I much prefer to target rude individuals who pretend that they have the slightest idea about what they are talking about. Even your diagnosis as a psychopath is not entirely correct. Yes I share many traits which would suggest I have severe psychopathic tendencies but a full psychopath I am not. You are a fool."

"So you claim." Dr Rafferty argued as his face reddened at the personal attack.

"Edward?" Jon asked lazily.

Edward nodded and shrugged a little. "I have to agree with Jon."

"Get out the pair of you." Rafferty hissed and pressed the button to summon the guards. "Escort these two straight to the playroom. I am sure that missing one lunch will not kill them."

"Be seeing you Dr Rafferty." Jonathan said politely but his eyes held the promise of future violence and it made the young doctor shudder.

x-x-x-x-x

"That was fun! I'm looking forward to next weeks session." Edward grinned as he sat in his usual seat in the playroom. "I feel like we made some real progress today Jon."

"You are an embarrassment. The only actually vaguely interesting thing which happened today was the look of horror on Raffertys' face when we were discussing your birthday. He is far too weak to survive in this asylum. I wonder what would happen if he was faced with Joker."

"If anyone finds him they can ask him. How long has the clown been missing for now?"

"About four months I think. No one has heard from him since he dropped off the grid but i'm sure he is out there somewhere plotting something disgusting and unnecessary." Edward grimaced as he surveyed the room, his eyes landing on Calendar Man. "On a totally different note, do you remember that time they attempted to force us to swap rooms with other villains?"

"That was a disaster." Jon smiled at the memory. After the rumours of the plots which himself and Edward were hatching had reached the ears of the Arkham officials they had decided to separate the pair. "I was moved cell to share with Arnold Wesker."

"I'm sure he loved that."

"Actually, I feel a considerable amount of sympathy for Wesker so I was more...gentle than usual. We are all victims of ourselves to a degree but Wesker is one of the few who would happily rehabilitate if given a real chance. His psyche is fascinating and I did enjoy the opportunity to study the Ventriloquist a little more."

"And they moved Calendar Man into my cell." Edward added. "He is far too boring for my taste. At least you have a semblance of a personality."

"Why thank you Edward." Jon replied sarcastically. "Do you recall the utter mayhem we caused in the weeks following our separation? That was glorious. Three dead doctors, two assisted breakouts and they had to call the Batman out more than once to investigate the threatening riddles you left scrawled around the asylum."

"Those were good times. It only took them three weeks to move you back into my cell which is a little impressive when you consider how dense the staff here are." He laughed.

"Nygma! Crane!" An orderly called from the doorway. Both men turned to gaze in unison at the man. "You are needed in the interview room. You have a visitor."

They both walk out of the playroom and towards their destination. "Ooh a visitor! Do you think they brought us something nice." He asked playfully while Jon snorted. "And to think I actually got excited." Edward frowned as he walked inside the room and took in the hulking figure on the other side of the table. "I haven't been this disappointed since that time you cheated and escaped my death trap in that shopping mall."

"I know something is going on in Gotham. Nightwing and Robin told me you were both acting suspiciously and I would like to know why."

"Suspiciously! Jonathan are you hearing these accusations? It's now unacceptable for two men to dress up for a night out on the town. It's political correctness gone mad." Edward exclaimed.

"It does seem like he is accusing us of something." Jonathan agreed. "But we both know that we have done nothing wrong." He paused while both Edward and Batman looked at him. "Recently."

"Someone is targeting criminals and you two have information. I know it." Ignoring the pairs look of faux shock, Batman continued. "There have been two costumed criminals murdered in the last two months and a number of others have been attacked."

"Two murders? Who?" Edward asked as he kept his face blank. He was aware that King Tut was dead but he had not heard of another murder.

"King Tut and Deacon Blackfire. Tut was found stabbed in the street while Blackfire was discovered in his lair, again, stabbed through the heart."

"Oh please no! Not Tut and Blackfire!" Edward said monotonously. "Such losses to the criminal underworld. Jon are you sad?"

"Devastated." Jon smirked.

"What do you both know?" Batman asked forcefully.

"I am something you can tell but should never be told, I am easy to keep as I will never get old. What am I?"

Batman sighed. "A secret. Look, I don't have time for this Nygma. If someone is killing in my city, even if it's criminals, I will stop them."

"That was an easy one." Edward grumbled. "And we have no idea what you're talking about."

"Edward is correct. We are unaware of any misfortunes which have fallen our fellow rouges. Surely you of all people understand that we are not social creatures."

"I know," Batman paused to emphasise his words, "that someone dangerous is targeting all the costumed villains in Gotham. Tell me what you know and I might be able to stop someone else dying."

"I would rather take a dose of my own toxin." Jonathan replied viciously and his eyes glittered with malice.

"That could be arranged." Batman said threateningly.

"It was nice of you to stop by Batman. Next time maybe bring some grapes or new books, the ones here are more dusty than your attitude."

Standing quickly, Batman leaned in towards the pair and growled, "You have not seen the last of me. If something else happens then I will be back and you WILL be answering my questions." He held their gaze for a second before marching to the door and slamming it shut.

x-x-x-x-x

Stuck in their cell again, Edward and Jonathan were in deep discussion about the new information provided by Batman. "If Blackfire is also dead then we have to assume that more death will follow and that Tut was not an isolated incident." Edward said, his head hanging off the edge of the bed.

"As true at that may be, we canno-" Jons' reply was cut off by a series of loud bangs which rocketed the asylum. Jumping to their feet, the pair dashed to the glass wall to see what was causing all the commotion. They were squinting out into the main corridor when the power cut out and they were plunged into semi-darkness.

"This is very spooky Jon." Edward grimaced. "I bet you're loving it." Jon grinned in response. "Do you think someone is escaping? Or do you think someone is breaking in?"

"Knowing Arkham it could be both." Jon glanced at the end of the hallway and spotted Ivy about to run past the door. "IVY!" He called out loudly, causing her to pause.

"Ivy?" Edward asked as he looked to the end of the hall. "Hello Ivy! Planning a small breakout are we? I don't suppose you were planning on letting your old friends Jon and Eddie out aswell?" He batted his long eyelashes.

"After the stunts your abusive partner pulled in that group therapy session? No." Ivy hissed as she stood outside their cell.

"Jon apologises for that. Would you really leave us here after all we've done for you? Harley would let us out." Edward said in a sing-song voice.

Ivy frowned and paused for a second to consider what she would do. Obviously coming to a decision, he pulled out a small keycard and opened the glass door to their cell. "Move. Now. Before I change my mind."

"Thanks babe." Edward winked and dodged a small hand which attempted to slap the back of his head. Sprinting through the asylum, they managed to successfully dodge all the on-duty guards who were preoccupied with the small explosions which had damaged the walls at the back of the asylum. Breaking through the side entrance, the trio found themselves in the Arkham parking lot. "Now what?" Edward panted.

Right on cue, the squealing of tires could be heard as a small police car came into view. "I now consider us fully even." Ivy called out as she ducked into the front seat of the car which had screeched to a stop in front of the trio. Following her actions, Jon and Edward jumped into the backseat.

"Hey Doctah Crane! Hey Mistah E!" Harley called out from the drivers seat as she waved her hands in a childish greeting. "You comin' for a ride?"

"Good evening Harley." Jon nodded, pulling his seatbelt on as Harley flew out of the parking lot of the asylum and towards the city. "How are you?"

"I'm good Doctah Crane." Harley beamed. "I wanted ta save Red and I asked if yous' wanted ta come too and she said no but I knew she was kiddin' since she brought ya's anyway!" Beside her, Ivy shrugged and went back to looking bored. "So where yous' wanna go?"

"Thank you Harley." Edward said honestly. "And could you just drop us at my apartment please?"

"Sure thing Mistah E!" Harley giggled as she accelerated harshly and tore through the quiet streets of Gotham.


	14. Something Going On In Gotham

As soon as they were both safely inside the apartment, Edward pulled out his phone and quickly typed in a number. "Hello Shelia? It's Edward. Yes that's us back in the apartment. I was just phoning to thank you for keeping an eye on the place while we were 'away'. I'll send you a thank you gift when the heat has died down a little...Really it's not a bother. Uh huh... Well I will see you soon. Goodbye." He hung up and flopped down on his beloved couch.

"Want some coffee?" Jonathan asked as he headed towards the kitchen.

"Are you insane? It's almost two in the morning. I'm going to bed."

"Want some company?" Walking back from the kitchen, Jon stood in front of him. He wasn't even slightly tired and his adrenaline from the escape hadn't worn off yet.

"Given that it's OUR bed I suppose you are somewhat entitled to join me in it."

"Ignoring your sarcastic tone, I was asking if you would like some _company_." He emphasised the last word and raised a suggestive eyebrow.

Edwards' head perked up as he looked at Jon fully. "But i'm tired."

"Would you like to be more tired?"

Smiling at the unexpected turn in conversation, Edward smirked. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"If we carry this pointless conversation into the bedroom we can concentrate on me getting into you."

"Ooh dirty talk. Tell me more." Edward grinned. It wasn't often Jon initiated anything and Edward was going to milk it for all it was worth. "What would your great granny say if she heard you say such things?"

"I like to think it would put her in her grave if I hadn't already accomplished that feat." Jon walked slowly until he was standing directly in front of Edward before kneeling with his long legs on either side of Edwards' so he could straddle the younger mans' lap. He started to undo the buttons on Edwards' shirt and Edward leaned back to give him better access.

"This is quite uncharacteristic but i'm not complaining." Edward commented as he placed his hands up the back of Jons' shirt and scraped his nails down his back, eliciting a delicious shiver from the other man. Their actions were interrupted by a sharp series of knocks on the apartment door. "Ignore it." Jon whispered as he continued to try and remove Edwards' shirt. The knocks reappeared a second later, this time slightly more forcefully.

Edward sighed, pushed Jon off his lap and stood up. "Do you remember what happened last time I ignored someone at that door? Killer Croc almost ripped the damn thing off its hinges." He re-buttoned his shirt before glanced back to Jon who was now sulking on the couch. "Oh come on Jon! Don't be petty. I'll get rid of whoever this is and then we can do the bad thing."

"No. Moods gone now." Jon started to pick at his fingernails as he lounged on the couch.

Edward scowled before growling in frustration. "I swear to god, if this is someone trying to sell fridges or religion then we are going to have a new guest in the basement for the next few days." He seethed.

Edward opened the door slowly and looked at the visitor. "Selina dear. Please come in." He opened the door fully and allowed her to enter. Selina walked in and moved directly to the couch, where she dropped down heavily. Turning towards Jon, she nodded in greeting. "So to what do we owe the pleasure of this extremely late visit?"

"There's something going on in Gotham."

Jon and Edward shared a quick glance before Jon replied slowly, "And how have you come to that conclusion?"

"I've been noticing that something odd has been going on the last month or so. People being attacked, like Ivy, and now i'm hearing from sources that criminals are being murdered in the street by an unknown source."

"Sources?" Edward gave her a knowing look. "Winged rat sources?"

"My sources are not up for discussion."

"Winged rat sources." Jon confirmed and Selina turned to glare at him.

Deciding to ignore the pair, Selina continued. "I wasn't sure if something was targeting criminals or if it was just coincidence but now i'm sure."

"And what is the origin of this sudden confidence?" Pulling a small chair up, he sat in front of her on the couch.

"Someone broke into my apartment earlier. By the time I got home whoever it was had disappeared and trashed the place." Selinas' eyes narrowed in anger as she spoke. "They also hurt one of my cats." She hissed.

"That's unfortunate." Edward conceded. "But how do you know that it's the same person who's been attacking the other rogues?"

"Have you ever known someone to break into my apartment and leave no evidence for me to track?" She replied simply.

"That is true." Edward nodded, a look of agreement on his face. "So why would you come to us with this information?"

"At the risk of inflating your already-massive ego, you and Jonathan are two of the most intelligent men in this city. Plus since whoever it is seems to be targeting criminals I have no reason to take this to the law."

"My ego is not that big." Edward protested but was silenced by the looks that both Selina and Jon were sending his way. "Shut up."

"Anyway," Selina moved on, "do either of you have anymore information on what the hell is going on?"

Edward gave Jon a questioning glance and received a small nod in response. "Yes but we need to work out ourselves exactly what the series of events is. Come back tomorrow and we will give you all the information we have in exchange for all the information YOU have."

Selina scowled lightly. "And why can't we just do it now?"

"Because Jon and I have only been out of Arkham for about four hours." Edward said lazily. "Thanks for visiting us by the way." He accused.

"Why would I drag my ass all the way to Arkham just to say hello to you?" She replied incredulously.

"Ignore him." Jon interjected. "He's just being difficult."

x-x-x-x-x

By the time Selina left it was almost morning and both Jon and Edward realised that sleep was probably not going to be an option for a while and they were currently sat at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee. "If Selina is coming round tomorrow then we had better get a good idea of what exactly our plan is." Jonathan paused as he thought he heard the door open but shook it off as a lack of sleep. "We should also consider informing both Harley and Ivy."

"And why should we do that?"

"I am comfortable enough in my masculinity to admit that if someone is murdering criminals then an alliance with those woman, who are considerably more physically powerful than us, would be a good idea."

"I suppose you have a poi-" His response was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a woman inside the kitchen door. She was dressed head to toe in navy blue with red accents with a small mask covering her face, leaving only the eyes, uncovered. Jumping in shock, both men shot out of their chairs and went on the immediate offensive.

Throwing a punch at the woman, Edward tried to knock her out as quickly as possible but his move was unsuccessful as she ducked under it and swept his legs out from under him. He hit the floor with a loud thud, smacking the side of his head and causing it to begin to bleed, He silently cursed the fact that all of his and Jons' fighting equipment was stowed away in the basement and completely unavailable to them. He tried to push himself back onto his feet but hissed in pain as his ankle protested.

Having taken Edward out of the game immediately, the woman sprinted towards Jon and, using all her strength, punched him in the stomach with obvious skill and control. Wheezing, he fell to his knees in obvious distress and Edward flinched in sympathy. Recovering instantly, she proceeded to kick him on the temple which sent him flying to the side where his head collided full-force with the small oven. He hit the floor hard and his body lay unmoving.

Watching Jon fall with horror-stricken eyes, Edward realised that he was now in very serious trouble since he was now fully at the mercy of the intruder. He attempted to stand up again but an even more intense pain shot its way up from his foot and he fell to the floor with a cry. "Can we come to some kind of arrangement here?" He called out loudly. The woman shook her head and slowly approached Edward, who began to desperately crawl away from her. Her blade kept catching the shards of moonlight which punctured the room and caused it to glint dangerously. Edward gulped as he kept a wary eye on it and continued to escape backwards.

His back hit something solid and he grimaced as he realised that he had reached the wall. The woman paused in front of him and tilted her head as she took in his pathetic position on the floor before raising her blade to deliver the killing blow. Edward squeezed his eyes shut and tensed up as he waited for the pain to arrive. He flinched as he heard a loud clanging noise but realised that he was still unharmed. His eyes shot open and took a moment to adjust to the dark shape which was now lying outstretched at his feet and they widened in surprise as he realised that it was the woman.

Confusion reigned in his head and he squinted into the gloom to work out what had happened. He could faintly make out a human figure a few feet away and he opened his mouth to call out when the lights were suddenly flicked back on. Gasping in surprise, Edward allowed his eyes to recover before opening them again and sighed in relief. "Jon!"

"Edward." Jon replied. He was hunched over in pain as he clutched his stomach with his left hand while the right was hidden behind his back. "Do I get a thank you?"

"Jon I have no idea what even happened. Care to fill me in?"

"You were about to become a human kebab and I saved your life with this." He pulled out his right hand from behind his back and Edward could see the large cast-iron skillet which they used for cooking clutched inside it. "I feigned unconsciousness for long enough to allow her to focus all her attention on you before I introduced her head to our skillet."

"What should we do with her?" Edward asked as he eyed up the fallen body.

Standing in thought for a few moments, Jonathan considered his options before answering. "I think I have an idea."

x-x-x-x-x

Edward watched Jon shut the basement door quietly before moving to stand behind him. "Is she safely secured?" Edward asked, wincing as Jon delicately touched the small gash he had received on his temple. His head was throbbing and he was convinced that he had sprained his ankle.

Jon grimaced in pain as he sat down next to Edward on the couch. "She is secure. No amount of skill will allow her to escape the chair."

"Are you concussed?"

"I hope so. Otherwise there are actually two of you here and I don't think I could ever handle two Edwards."

"Sounds kinky."

"Shut up Edward." Jon hissed as he held a small ice pack up to his head. "When do you think we should wake her up and begin our interrogation? Because, if truth be told, I am feeling incredibly vengeful at the moment."

"As soon as we are feeling a bit less battered," Edward said firmly, "we will go down and see exactly what kind of information our guest is willing to give up to us." He finished his response with a vicious smirk which was filled with the promise of violence.


	15. We Need To Even The Odds

The woman hissed at the duo as they approached her. She had been fully restrained in the replacement chair and they could both see her analysing her surroundings to work out the best possible attempt at escape. "Don't even try it." Edward warned firmly. "One wrong move and I will shoot you dead." He gestured to the pistol which sat on the workbench beside him.

"You think these restraints can hold me for long? When I am free you will both suffer at my hand. Even if you succeed in killing me, more will appear in my place until you are both dead."

"About that," Jonathan joined the conversation, "who sent you here?" Jonathan was furious that someone had dared to attack both him and Edward in their home but he was determined to get answers before he took his revenge.

Ignoring the question, she continued. "You and your masked companions are all marked for death. There is no stopping it."

"Masked companions?" Jonathan was confused for a second. "Do you mean the rest of the Gotham rogues? They are no companions of mine. Associates maybe, and I don't think they would be very pleased with your pro-murder attitude towards them."

"You are all marked for death. My master will see to it. You will all know the sweet embrace of death and when you do we will burn this city to the ground."

"This one has spirit! I love it." Edward drawled as he examined the restrained woman. Her dark navy and red costume was faintly familiar but Edward was struggling to place exactly where he had seen it before. "How about a riddle? Would that make you feel more comfortable?"

Her eyes shot up. "You are the one they call Riddler? You have been marked for a special death, reserved only for those who are guilty of theft against my master. Such foolishness will never be tolerated and you will die for the insult. The Demons Head may want to deal with you personally while the rest of your masked associates perish at the Leagues hands." She smirked before becoming serious again. "But your death will be swift since you are not the main target. Another of your breed will received a fate worse than death for his actions." The assassin squirmed again as she tried to free herself from her bonds. Edward squinted as he considered the 'Demons Head' pseudonym, he knew he had heard that term before.

Jonathan kept an interested eye on Edward as the other man listened to the assassins words. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the colour drain from Edwards' face and a noticeable tremor develop in his hand. "Edward?" He enquired quietly.

"Upstairs now." Edward hissed. Before Jon could speak again Edward had picked up the pistol and brought it harshly down on the side of the assassins temple, instantly knocking her out. "I think I know who is after us, 'The Demons Head' is one of the alternate titles used by one of the most powerful villains in the known world. And if I am correct, and Ras Al Ghul has come for us, then we are in serious trouble.

x-x-x-x-x

Sitting back in the living room, Jonathan decided to get some answers out of Edward. "How do you know it's Ras Al Ghul? I had been led to believe that he was a mere myth." He only had a vague knowledge about Ras Al Ghul since he was more legend than anything else and his name was something he had only heard whispers of throughout his years as a villain. To find out that he was a real and living being was a little surprising and odd.

Edward held eye contact with Jon as he spoke. "He is definitely real and the reason I know it is him is because Ras Al Ghul is the only being on this earth who could possible know that I have stolen from him. And if he wants to deal with me personally then he is not happy."

"Why would you steal from Ras Al Ghul?" Jon struggled to think of a reason why someone as essentially powerless as Edward would dare to steal from such a man. It must have been something incredibly rare or completely unique.

Edward hesitated before replying quietly. "Because I was desperate and dying and it seemed like the only option I had." 

Jon could not keep the shock from his face. "What?!" To his knowledge Edward had never exactly been near death. Severely beaten, yes. But not near death.

"Brain tumour. Right in the orbital lobe. Inoperable and incurable." Edward pointed to the area with one hand while he struggled to keep his voice even. Even after all these years he still did not like to speak about his close call with death and he was not fond of the topic in general. Partially because he did not like to admit such a human weakness to others but also because he knew that if Ras Al Ghul caught wind of what he had done, he was guaranteed retribution and punishment.

Jon was silent for a few minutes. Edward had never disclosed that information to him and it unsettled him. In the many years they had known each other Edward had generally been quite honest about his life experiences and anything he didn't want to discuss Jon was usually able to pry out of him using a mixture of flattery and manipulation. But a terminal brain tumour? That was...serious. Of all the people Jonathan had met in his life there were very few who were as full of life as Edward and the thought that Edward was destined to die years previously left a horrible emptiness in his stomach and a sick feeling in his throat. He realised that he had been silent for too long. "And yet you're still here?" Even to his own ears his voice sounded heavy.

Edward nodded, a little surprised by how shaken Jon appeared to be at his confession. "And that is where Ras Al Ghul comes into it. You're hardly blameless for thinking that the man was nothing more than a legend. Ras Al Ghul is over 600 years old and many consider him to be virtually untouchable."

"And how exactly has he achieved that feat? 600 years is quite the long life."

"He has access to something which should not exist. He calls it the "Lazarus Pit" since it cures all ills and rejuvenates the body. There are even rumours that it can reanimate the dead." Edward frowned. "But those rumours are unsubstantiated."

"And what is the Lazarus Pit actually? How does it have such power?"

"I must confess that I do not know. The liquid could be a mixture of any number of chemicals but even that does not explain how it has such abilities. If I wasn't such a cynical person I would say that it was almost supernatural, a force of nature which is unexplainable. My memories of using the pit are very jumbled and disjointed but I can remember how unnatural it felt to be inside of it."

"That's a little unsettling. So what you are saying is that Ras Al Ghul is essentially immortal?"

"And incredibly powerful. He has had centuries to build himself up an army, known as the League of Assassins, and they are all highly skilled and trained in several forms of combat. Again, rumours have suggested that they have been responsible for several world disasters throughout history."

"Such as?"

"Well, the great fire of London was one which they were alleged to have started. And I also heard that the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 was orchestrated by the League to bring about the First World War."

"Do you have any other information on the man?" Jonathan could feel his concern rising. If he was as powerful as Edward claimed then the deceleration of war against the Gotham Rogues was probably not going to end positively.

"He was responsible for the entire creation of Arkham City. He supplied Hugo Strange, may he rest in hell, with all the resources he would need to build the super prison. His plan was to destroy Gotham since it was filled with corruption and filth." He paused. "Ironically, Ras Al Ghul views himself as the saviour of humanity and his main goal is to eradicate evil from the world. He eventually murdered Hugo Strange though because Strange failed to keep control of both the Joker and Batman."

"And how do you know this Edward? Somehow I don't think it was being advertised."

"In Arkham City I had successfully managed to hack essentially every single piece of software which I needed, including the security networks. There was not much which happened in Arkham City which I did not see. How do you think I managed to find you in your little boat?" Edward paused. "But regardless, through my observations I managed to work out what exactly was going on and I actually witnessed Ras Al Ghul stick a blade through Stranges' gut, be blown out of Wonder Tower, get impaled himself and then disappear without a trace. The mans' power is unquestionable. If he has come for us then we are going to need some serious help."

"But why would he target the Gotham Rogues specifically? It seems odd considering he was willing to work with us only a few years previously. Is this because you stole from him?"

"You heard the assassin, I am not the main target. Probably more like a bonus. She said one of the rogues would receive "a fate worse than death for his actions" and I have a very good idea that the rogue they are targeting is the one who was responsible for the murder of his daughter and heir, Talia Al Ghul."

"WHAT?!" Jonathan exclaimed in surprise before schooling his features. "Well I suppose that's a good a reason as any."

"As I said, I saw everything. In the Dark Knights' final confrontation with the Joker, Ras Al Ghuls' daughter Talia was shot dead in cold blood by the Joker himself. I think she had some sort of romantic attachment to the Bat himself and you know how Joker is, he can't handle someone else having even one iota of the Bats' attention. Joker himself almost died but the Bat was able to administer the cure in time."

"How fortunate." Jonathan growled. "Joker. Why is it always the clown? Do you think if we explained to Ras Al Ghul that we all actually hate the man ourselves and that no one has actually seen him recently that he would back off?"

Edward snorted a little. "After everything i've just told you about the man do you seriously think he would be that reasonable?"

"So Ras is responsible for all the attacks and misfortune which has been afflicting the rogues recently?"

"Obviously I can't be certain but if I were a betting man I would put a hefty amount on it."

"So what is our plan? Do we have a plan?"

"Ras Al Ghul has an army and almost unlimited resources. If we are planning to survive this little tussle then I think we need to even the odds a little. We need to gather our fellow rogues and explain to them what is happening. We need to present a united front or we will all we destroyed. We need an army."

"That sounds like the worst plan ever." Jonathan commented as he lay back on the couch.

Edward sighed and moved so that he could sit beside Jonathan. Ras Al Ghul being back on the scene was going to be a problem and he knew that his previous associations with the man have now made him a prime target. Sensing Edwards' distress, Jon decided to try and offer him a little comfort. He lifted one of his arms and pulled Edward towards him allowing the younger man to tuck himself tightly into his side so that he could feel normal for at least a little while. Silence fell throughout the apartment as both men contemplated the immense task which had just been set to them.


End file.
